The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/558143
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS SportingNews.com Ranks U-M's 10 Greatest Basketball Players This summer, SportingNews.com has been ranking the best basketball players from tradition-rich programs such as North Carolina, Kansas, Indiana and Kentucky, among others. The website ranks former All-Ameri- can Cazzie Russell (1964-66) as the No. 1 player for Michigan. "How much of an impact did Russell make? He averaged 27.1 points per game for his career," they wrote. "He led Michigan to two Final Four appearances in 1964 and 1965, and scored 28 points in the NCAA title game loss to UCLA. He earned Sporting News Player of the Year honors in 1966 after averaging a school- record 30.8 points per game." Former NCAA Tournament Most Out- standing Player for 1989, Glen Rice (1986-89), was posited at No. 2. "Rice broke out with a junior season in which he averaged 22.1 points per game, but he took it to the next level his senior year. Rice shot 53.4 percent from three- point range and averaged 25.6 points per game. He earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors." Three members of the famed "Fab Five" — Chris Webber (1992-93) at No. 4, Jalen Rose (1992-94) at No. 7 and Juwan Howard (1992-94) at No. 10 — expectedly made the cut, but Rudy Tomjanovich edged out Webber to be ranked the No. 3 player in Michigan basketball history. His number hanging in the rafters, Tomjanovich (1968-70) averaged 25.1 points and 14.5 rebounds for his career. The Naismith Award winner as college basketball's top player in 2013, point guard Trey Burke (2012-13) is the most recent former Wolverine on the list, at No. 5. Burke averaged 18.6 points, 6.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in leading the Maize and Blue within six points of the program's second national title; U-M dropped an 82-76 decision to Louisville in the NCAA Tournament championship game. The rest of the top 10 includes: No. 6 Bill Buntin (1963-65), No. 8 Gary Grant (1985- 88) and No. 9 Rickey Green (1976-77). All-American Cazzie Russell earned the top spot on SportingNews.com's list thanks to his career scoring average of 27.1 points per contest and his role in leading the Wolverines to a pair of Final Four berths (1964 and '65). PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS