The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ern standout Jalen Rose and Chris Webber of Detroit Country Day to come to Michigan. "Perry's success is keyed by his genuine concern for his players, both on and off the court," Fisher said. "I first got to know Perry in 1979, when I was at West- ern Michigan and he was just getting started. Now, I think he'll be an excellent addition to the Michigan basketball program." — John Borton SPIKE ALBRECHT HEADED TO PURDUE With one quick, 84-character tweet on May 3, it was over. Four-year Michigan guard Spike Albrecht announced on Twitter that he's going to spend a graduate- transfer season playing for Matt Painter at Purdue. Albrecht noted: "Excited to announce that I'll be playing my fifth year for Pur- due University. #BoilerUp" Albrecht is best noted for his 17 points off the bench in Michigan's national championship contest against Louisville in the spring of 2013. The points all occurred in the first half, and enhanced his 9-of-10 three-point shooting effort over the course of the tournament. The Crown Point, Ind., native returns to his home state for a final season of college basketball eligibility. He played in 115 games for Michigan, serving as a team captain in 2014-15 and sharing the Bill Buntin Most Valuable Player award in 2015. Albrecht scored 453 points over the course of four seasons. He shot 39.9 percent from three-point range, and wound up with 235 career assists. Michigan head coach John Beilein told the audience at the annual Bob Ufer Quarterback Club banquet that, "We love Spike." What nobody could have known was how his freshman year would turn out — the Wolverines battling Louisville for the national title before 75,000 fans in the Georgia Dome. Albrecht took center stage for a half, in a performance no Michigan fan will ever forget. "He came in with the Fresh Five," Beilein said. "Unfortunately, none of them are at this table — Glenn Robinson, Mitch McGary, Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert and Spike Albrecht. A great group of young men. "Who would have thought, at the end of his freshman year, he'd score 17 points in the national championship game? Who'd have thought the next year he leads us to a Big Ten championship?" No one thought he'd be wearing the gold and black four years later, either. But that's what Albrecht will be doing, if his two hips — surgically repaired prior to the 2015-16 season — allow it.