Webber knew agony of just coming close -- Sports, NCAA Tourname...

Sixteen schools return to NCAA tournament play Thursday and Friday, but it won't be long before 15 know the agony of defeat.

[info]

You forget to mention that the big reason why UM did not win the championship either of the two years was that the kids were not coached or taught basketball real well. By your analogy the horses were never broken in. I bet if you looked back at UM the kids got as good as they would get sometime during the middle of their freshman year and never progressed past that. That timeout was a coaching mistake too, since the coach should have gone over that. By the way weren't their recruiting or other NCAA violations on the team. His mistake is known locally here as DOH.

[eeyore2003]

Well, had he traded it in for a championship in 1992 or 1993, it would be gone as Michigan has been stripped of all awards and records from those seasons because of Mr. Webber's and other team members' conduct during his college years. The banners from those appearances are gone, his all-American awards are gone, all because he was greedy and took loans and other things during his college career. It's even been suggested by some that the time-out in 1993 was not an accident, given his connection to people accused of point shaving. His actions had devastating effects on the University of Michigan's basketball team, and should be part of any legacy. I have little sympathy for his lack of a championship. A middle-class basketball standout taking money under the tables and betraying the team members whose efforts were erased (the university I have less sympathy for, given they should have known) while he goes on to an NBA career doesn't deserve much.

[JMK]

Hack journalism at its finest. If you want to talk about his pro career glowingly, fine, it was solid. But to gush over a convicted cheater like this is extremely unprofessional. The opening paragraph of every article ever written about him or the fab 5 should preface the fact that they were a disgrace to college athletics.

[MoJoDC]

Another worthless column from Mr. Downey. Webber embarassed the University of Michigan and set its basketball program back a decade through his selfish acceptance of money from a booster. So forgive this Michigan alumnus for not shedding a tear for Webber being remembered for the time-out. If that is all he is remembered for, he is doing pretty well. My memory of Webber will be, at the same time he was whining about not receiving money as a college athlete, he was secretly accepting money against NCAA rules. Another memory is him getting caught with marijuana in his car on the way to practice during one of the seasons he dogged it with the Washington Wizards.
Mr. Downey, please do a little research before you write your columns....