Anyone who is a Basketball fan, who regularly follows all updates about the Basketball world, and who is as zealous as The Fab Five would be knowing the famous “The Fabulous Five” group from the University of Michigan, who were considered to be the greatest college basketball teams ever who dominated the world of the Men’s College Basketball league.
“The Fabulous Five” or the “The Fab Five” as called by the millions of fans, were the greatest recruiting classes of all time during the 1990s era. “The Fab Five” were recruited in 1991 by the University of Michigan, men’s basketball team. The Fab Five was the first and the greatest team in NCAA history, to compete in the men’s college championship game with all freshmen.
To compete against the Notre Dame team, the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines Team; Stephen Loius Fisher who is also known as Steve Fisher signed the most talented freshman class of all time, The Fab Five. The Fab Five helped the Michigan Wolverines to win the National game in their freshman year, against the Notre Dame team to a victory of 74-65. Fisher had unexpected results with this all-freshman lineup.
The exceptional and magnificent performance by the 5 freshman students gained them the title of “The Fabulous Five” or “The Fab Five” since that one outstanding game. The Fab Five consisted of five players namely :
- Jalen Rose
- Chris Webber
- Juwan Howard
- Jimmy King
- Ray Jackson
The Fab Five consisted of All American four recruits namely, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and Jimmy King. Ray Jackson was a top 85 recruit in the year 1991. The legendary group has formed a warm and everlasting place in the heart of fans. They were considered so cool, that all of their moves and shots were recorded on the court, and gained a place in the entertainment industry in the form of an ESPN sports documentary of all time. To gain more insights on the Fab Five, Hereunder is the descriptive introductions to the members of the Fab Five.
Jalen Rose
Jalen Rose was considered the leader of the Fab Five. He set the school records as a freshman by scoring 597 points single-handedly. He was a star at the Southwestern High School. He was recruited to Michigan as the number six player in the nation. As an excellent shooter and one of the best point guards, Rose became a heartthrob and the leader of the team with an average point of 17.6 per game. After completing the Junior Year, Jalen Rose left school and joined the NBA. He scored more than 1700 points, 400 rebounds, 400 assists and 100 steal in his game era. He was voted on by the NCAA All-Time Tournament and All-Region teams due to his efforts in the 1992 NCAA Tournament which lead Michigan to the finals. In the current times, his career recommences as an analyst and producer. The movie Fab Five which was produced by him was a huge hit and he also became the New York Times bestseller author for the book called ” Got to Give the People What They Want.”
Chris Webber
Chris Webber attended the Detriot County Day high school in Michigan state. He played well due to which he was awarded as the school player of the year and also emerged as the MVP in McDonald’s All-Star game. Due to his stellar performance, he was chosen on the Michigan basketball team as the top recruit in the class of 1991 as a freshman. On average per game, Chris Webber scored a double-double with career statistics of 15.5 PPG(Points per game) and 10.0 RPG (Rebounds per game). After his second year at Michigan, he entered the NBA and went to the Orlando Magic.
Juwan Howard
Juwan Howard attended the Chicago Vocational Career Academy for high school and he became the number 3 recruit in the nation. He became the first and the only member among the Fab Five to win an NBA Championship. He had a successful career at the Chicago Vocational Career Academy as an All-American Center and Honors Students before signing to the Michigan University and becoming a part of the legendary The Fab Five. He commenced as an NBA All-Star in 1994 after leaving the University of Michigan. He played for 10NBA teams and has won 2 championships in 2012-2013. His average statistics are 13.8 PPG (Points per game), 6.3 RPG (Rebounds per game), and 2.3 APG(Assists per game). He retired in 2013 after winning the championship. He then remained as an assistant coach with Miami Heat from 2014 to 2019. Currently, he is providing his assistance as the head coach at the University of Michigan.
Jimmy King
Jimmy King began his basketball career as being a part of Plano East Senior High School, Dallas. His career included 64 basketball games and mainly developed his career by playing for a CBA team, Quad City Thunder. He retired in 1997 with an average of 4.5 PPG (Points per game). He is also a part of the talk show King and Foster.
Ray Jackson
Ray Jackson graduated from Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School and ranked 84th in the nation. He did not participate in any NBA games. He went after CBA and received the CBA Rookie of the Year award in 1995-1996. He played back and forth competing for France and Argentina during his career in the CBA. Currently, he is the founder of a nonprofit organization called Rise Up Inc. which promotes education in Texas.
