2007, April 1: Lexington Herald Leader - Fab Five

UK NOTEBOOK - Michigan's team changed the game before sanctions... Michigan's Fab Five accomplished a lot in two short seasons. Two Final Fours as freshmen and sophomores, itself a revolutionary feat in the early 1990s when freshmen made little impact. Then came allegations of accepting money from a booster and, in another oddity, Michigan stripped its record books of their presence much as the Soviet Union made Leon Trotsky a non-person. Despite all of that, Jalen Rose has no problem remembering the Fab Five playing Kentucky in the 1993 Final Four. "It wasn't just another game at all," he said. "Kentucky was the favorite to win the NCAA that year by the way they were blowing people out." Never mind that Michigan returned all five starters from a team that advanced to the 1992 national championship game. The experts made Kentucky the big favorite. "We took it personally," Rose said. "It was almost like a slap in the face." Michigan beat Kentucky 81-78 in overtime before losing to North Carolina in a championship game settled by a technical foul called on Chris Webber for calling a timeout the Wolverines didn't have. All became a mere footnote for the Fab Five, who changed college basketball by wearing baggy shorts and black socks, sporting tattoos and, as Rose said, "performing like we were in the backyard talking trash and having a swagger." The Fab Five did not intend to make such a mark on college basketball. "Most of it just happened," said Rose, who plays for the Phoenix Suns. "Our mark on college sports and pro sports is unquestioned." Rose, who considers college athletics the "ultimate hypocrisy," acknowledged the sting of having Michigan erase the Fab Five from its record book. He interprets that action as the revenge gained by those who disliked the style. He wonders why Ohio State did not take down the football championship banner that Maurice Clarett helped raise. "Looking back on it, I understand that people appreciate what we brought," he said. "I know it'll never be duplicated." By Jerry Tipton HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER