NCAA Basketball: Top 10 programs that can be called ‘Big Man U’
By Amaar Burton
10. NCAA Basketball “Big Man U” programs – Michigan Wolverines
Take a look at Michigan’s four most famous big men and you’ll find four wildly different players.
Roy Tarpley was the traditional 1980s center. Patrolling the paint for the Wolverines at 6’11”, he was a two-time All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year in 1985, averaging 19.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game that season.
Tarpley was the No. 7 pick in the star-crossed 1986 NBA Draft, but (like a few of his draft classmates) he hampered his promising pro career with substance abuse problems.
Chris Webber was far from a traditional power forward. In fact, Webber deserves a share of credit for revolutionizing his position in the 1990s and early-2000s.
The face of the “Fab Five” at Michigan from 1991-93, Webber could handle and pass the ball like a guard and shoot with range. He used those skills to lead Michigan to back-to-back national championship games (they lost to Duke and North Carolina), averaging 17.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in two seasons.
Webber was the No. 1 pick in the 1993 draft and a five-time NBA All-Star. He should’ve been voted into the Hall of Fame years ago, but for some reason, he keeps getting snubbed.
Juwan Howard was Webber’s teammate with the Fab Five, not as much of a highlight maker but just as effective. Howard had a refined back-to-the-basket post-game but could also play face-up. After Webber left school following his sophomore year, Howard became the Wolverines’ leading scorer, averaging 20.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He and Jalen Rose led UM to the Elite Eight.
After winning two NBA championships as a player, Howard went into coaching. He just finished his first season as the head coach at Michigan.
Then there’s the Robert “Tractor” Traylor, the 300-pounder who looked (and played) like a defensive tackle on the basketball court. He led Michigan to a championship in the first-ever Big Ten tournament in 1998 and was its first MVP.
Other notables: Rudy Tomjanovich, Bill Buntin, Mo Wagner, Maceo Baston, Loy Vaught