I grew up in Michigan in a non-partisan hoops household. My first "basketball hero" was Scott Skiles, and as far back as I can remember, Michigan seemed to be overrated and underachieving, while Micigan State was just the opposite. That was the beginning of my Michigan hoops haterdom if you want to call it that.
Like EZRollah, my time at UMich conicided with the Fab 5, and I just couldn't find it in me to root for them. Even their first year - their "shock the world" year - they seemed (to me, at least) to be too prepackaged and overhyped. The baggy shorts, black socks, and nicknames for each other seemed to isolate them, as if they were only playing for themselves and not for school pride or spirit or anything that sort of mattered to me.
No Big 10 titles, no nothing. Not even any real legacy other than the fact that they were the Fab 5. That's like being famous for being famous but without any real fame. Or something like that.
Mitch Albom didn't help matters either, with his book and coverage of the team. I will never forget his whole (praphrase)... "These guys are being exploited. I saw Chris Webber digging in the cushions of his couch to scrounge change to buy a Value Meal. It is a great injustice..."
For me, there was never anything to get behind with those guys, and I admit that I was already a State fan before they hit the scene, but they sure did nothing to change my mind.
I understand EZ's point about Amaker doing all of the right things, he is almost an anomaly at this point. I irrationally blame the Fab 5 for Michigan's past 12 years of recruiting woes. I could go on and on but in a nutshell, despite the diploma on my wall (okay in my sock drawer) that is why I am not a fan of Michigan hoops.
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