Who would ever rate Tim McCormick over Bill Buntin?
You can argue with much of this list, but I bet Tim McCormick wouldn't rate himself anywhere close to centers like Bill Buntin or Roy Tarpley, who both died prematurely, and were arguably even better at Michigan than Juwan Howard. More research was required. Michigan basketball all-time roster: Wolverine legends (usatoday.com)
Isaiah Hole would, for one.
A lot of curious choices. Rice, Rudy T and Burke as backups? (Plus, I don't think Rice ever played SG?)
I think the SG for Rice is a typo. Should have been SF. I agree that Rice should be a starter.
I know Burke won awards and all, I'm taking Rose as my starting pg every single time
Trey definitely would've take the ball from CWebb. I would also put Trey and Jalen on the court together.
I agree. I think that's an easy call, even if you limit the view to the years at UM (which seems to be the point).
Love Jalen, but he's not really a PG on defense. Burke is.
It’s times like this that I think of what it must be like to be a writer for a mediocre national sports page, trying to pump out articles to get people like us from something like 40 different fanbases to read something we/they may find meaningful. It’s an impossible task, the writer will never know the deepest depths of that many programs or all of our layers. So in that context, I’d say this was an OK article when OK is the ultimate success.
I don't generally envy journalists in 2024. It's a rough life.
Rickey Green gets my vote for PG.
I know him only from film, but he seems underrated.
Mine as well. Pure speed, with an almighty afro.
As mighty as Green's fro was, it was only the second best on the team.
Dave Baxter had the mightiest fro of them all.
Logged in to upvote.
Rickey Green was fast, outstanding on the fast break, could take it to the rack and could shoot.
Certainly in the running for best pg in Michigan history.
Yes, lightning quick, great handle, good shot and a defensive wizard too.
Not sure how to answer your question regarding Tim McCormick, but Sarah Palin strongly feels that Glen Rice deserves to be on the first team. Considered him a straight shooter and could score from anywhere on the floor.
He sure could fill it up.
Strong drive to the hoop.
I don't think he ever got easy points by going back door either
so you’re saying the others palin comparison
A great shooter, but could also take it to the hole with ease.
It woud take me awhile to finalize my bench, but my starting five would definitely be Burke, Grant, Cazzie, Rice, and Webber.
Grant played with the ball-dominant Joubert, (I don’t know who was the PG and who was the SG in that tandem,) so I don’t think he’d have any problem playing with Burke. I like your lineup. Mine is below. If you want to play a traditional lineup, go with your group. If you want to overpower a team with size, take my 5.
Smells of recency bias at the center position, but as they say 'User name checks out'. Phil Hubbard, particularly before his injuries, was certainly the best center we ever had. I like Vladdie's starting 5, but I wouldn't play Weber at center, he's a power forward. Rice gets to be the sixth man in my rotation, and I'm liking the notion of having his scoring off the bench (the Michigan Microwave?).
Homeboy averaged 30 points a game an entire tournament while shooting 50% from 3 for a season. What player is going to bring more to the table than that? Im so confused on what people think Glen Rice was. You are sitting a 30pt scorer?
As they say in Dodgeball, 'It's a bold move, Cotton', but my plan would be to play stifling defense with my starters and rotate Rice between G/F enough to find him 30 minutes a game. As my name implies, I believe that defense wins championships.
At 30 minutes a game that seems reasonable. He was big and could board though. Before becoming an elite shooter his was a hell of a rebounder.
Ummm, the only National Championship we won was with Rice shooting at will.
Rice was also a very under appreciated rebounder, finishing his career as Michigan's 6th all time leader on the glass.
Rice finished second in the conference in rebounding in 1987.
That 1987 team was good but was quietly under-coached because they were playing 3 guards and Glen Rice in the first year of the 3 point line. That was the kind of roster Beilein would take to a Final Four, but popular consensus then was stuck in the aircraft carrier model.
Any all time best five list without Glen Rice in the starting line up is wrong. Won us a National Championship and arguably our best player ever, besides CW talent-wise. That like bringing Carmelo off the bench for a Syracuse all time team.
For my money, it's CJ Kupec all day. Then Billy Bunter.
While I'm not certain what it is for CJ Kupec all day, I'm agreeing with the sentiment.
Kupec with that deadly stroke, especially from the corner would have thrived even more so with John Beilein.
And likely more than any of the names being bandied about today for an all time team would have thrived in a game with the 3 point shot. Dude had unlimited range, but spent his career shooting it for 2.
Both Tim and Roy were playing when I was in school. Tim was a very good player, but seemed more like a forward when it came to D. Roy would get my vote, because he could score and play good D (blocking shots). I don't judge these ratings on anything that happened later. Roy played four years and was B1G MVP in his JR year when we won our last 16 regular season games. Tim went pro and got drafted in the 1st round the year before lottery picks.
Tim was also stuck in a serious "in-between" period at Michigan, with no real support around him. I have no idea how he'd do with other threats playing alongside to occupy a defense, but don't discount the guy. He was a serious baller.
Tim is a great guy, but the 89 team had 3 centers better than him - Mills, Hughes, and Eric Riley. Loy Vaught was technically the 4, but played the 5 in the offense.
Eric Riley? He averaged 10 and 8 as a sophomore but then the FAB FIVE came to town. He never played with 88-89 team.
No way. Hughes was a solid player off the bench, I guess, but not close to McCormick. And Riley? RILEY?? Compared to McCormick? Gimme a break.
I mean, it’s a horrible article. Grant is allowed to start at SG when the author admits he’s a PG, but Rice can’t start at SF (SG typo notwithstanding) because he’s going by position. The author isn’t even consistent with himself.
Regarding Rice, he was the best player on a championship team. He was a scoring machine, setting an NCAA tourney record that stood for years, and he was a top notch rebounder. That team had a PG, 2 SF (Griffin was not a SG,) and 2 bigs. That’s the lineup I’m going with.
Starting 5
Gary Grant
Glen Rice
Cazzie Russell
Chris Webber
Phil Hubbard
(I debated putting Tarpley in the starting lineup, but he couldn’t be trusted to show up sober and play his best. His teams lost some inexplicable games, until you realize he had a serious drug problem.)
The McCormick pick is terrible. He was the starting center on an NIT team. The author quotes his 10 PPG and 5 RPG. Those are pedestrian numbers. I’d take Teske over McCormick, but neither one belongs on this team. Mills or Howard are the backup 5.
a) Rice's NCAA record still stands.
b) Don't blame McCormick because he was only real player on that team. One guy can't do it alone.
Rice as the 6th man? What kind of NBA exec level decision is this? Kinda people that try to work in more Kevin Willis hook shots while Rice is open for 3. Yeah im not bitter.
Tim was a solid player but Bill Buntin was a certifiable Big Ten and NCAA star. he began to lead us out of mediocrity, then a year later, Cazzie finished that job.
Tim was a solid player for us, but I don't remember him being on the level of Roy. I was just a babe when Bill Buntin played so I can't comment about his game. Neither can Isaiah; stats don't tell the whole story.
Bill Buntin was all Big 10 first team in all 3 of his varsity seasons. 1964 NCAA all tournament team, 1965 all regional team. He would have scored more but didn't need to as Cazzie was such a scorer, still averaged 21.8 per game over his career to go with 13.1 rebounds per game. He was extremely athletic with soft hands.
In my mind Burke wouldn’t even make the bench as a guard, not when you have Cazzie, , Grant , Rose and Green ahead of you. buntin at center backed up Tarpley. Webber and Rice forwards with Rudy T off the bench. Other bench players McGee, Campy Russell. No Burke anywhere.
C'mon, wouldn't even make the bench- Naismeth player of the year?
I get the argument if you're downgrading him for only playing 2 seasons, but as a soph he was as good as any of them with the exception of Cazzie who was kind of a position-less player, anywhere from a 1-4.
He would not have gotten on the court if he had to go up against any of the four I named. Green was taller, faster and in 2 years averaged 3ppg more than Burke and was runner-up as POY. Cazzie, also POY in ‘66. So many more PPG and rebounds. Gary Grant not only scored at a higher rate but was a outstanding defensive player. He still holds the season (and career) record for steals.
Rickey and Trey are both listed as 6'0". I'm not sure trey is really that tall, but I'm quite sure Rickey is not as I have stood right next to him. Loved Rickey, but neither of his 2 seasons (he came in as a junior), was he as good and valuable as Trey was in 2013. Rickey was a fast player (very fast) who could score but he was not an elite passer.
Glen Rice, Gary Grant, Trey Burke, Cazzie Russell, Phil Hubbard.
You're not real big, but you're way, double fast and you won't be bullied.