The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/279958
MICHIGAN BASKETBALL U-M Honors 1989 National Title Team's 25-Year Anniversary When the Wolverines clinched at least a share of the regular-season Big Ten title with a 66-56 win over Minnesota March 1, they had some very special visitors in the locker room to help celebrate and sing "The Victors" after the game. The 1989 NCAA Tournament championship team was in town for the weekend, to partake in a ceremony honoring the 25-year anniversary of the unforgettable national title run. The university threw a reception for the former Wolverines, accompanied by a special presentation during the game to celebrate their accomplishments. But, more importantly, they got a chance to see each other again, and reminisce. "It is always a pleasure whenever we can get together," Demetrius Calip said. "Last night, about 12 o'clock, I was at the hotel. I had finished everything and was playing on Facebook a little bit. Tired, ready to lay my head down. I get a phone call, and my wife wants to know who's calling me this late. "I already knew. It was Mike Griffin, and he says: 'Get to the bar, now!' We were up until four o'clock in the morning, just recounting old stories. That is what it's like with this group. We get together, talk about old times and have a ball. It is always great to reunite." The players sat around and told stories about their run to the championship. Griffin's fondest memory involved the Wolverines' win over North Carolina in the Sweet 16, after the Tar Heels had bounced Michigan out of the NCAA Tournament in 1987 and 1988. For Hughes, it was the Wolverines' 83-81 win over Illinois in the Final Four, after the Fighting Illini had posted two double-digit victories over Michigan in the regular season. Calip's fondest memory started in his dorm room before the tournament even kicked off. "Before we left to go to the first game, I wrote on a piece of paper, 'NCAA CHAM- PIONS' and I hung it on my wall," he said. "We beat Xavier and South Alabama, and it was there. Four games later, we were national champions. When I saw that there, I couldn't believe that we actually accomplished it." The former Wolverines not only got to come together to celebrate their past ac- complishments, but they got to witness the team's current ones. "It is fun, watching these guys," All-American Glen Rice said. "I can understand ex- actly what these guys are going through, as far as trying to make sure everything is in order to put yourself in a position to win a championship. I understand that, at times, they get nervous. I understand the mistakes they make. "Right now, it's coming up on a time that they have to realize that pulling to- gether is the most important thing. That is how we were. We had some unfortu- nate circumstances happen at the time. We lost our head coach. But we realized that we could do it if we stayed a team and played together."