Finally another Smotrycz fan😂
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i figured your answer would be a trail of busts lol
Gary Grant my first love. I had those Nikes with the weird gray animal print sorta thing in 88. Glen Rice of course. Webber and Howard and Jalen and Ray. (Jimmy King always frustrated me.) Trey. TH2 won me over at home vs OSU that year with the chest thumping and the four second half triples. McGary was the one that got away. Walton, MAAR, Livers, Eli, and then the Wagners. The Wagners were SO. MUCH. FUN.
I need somebody to love. It could be Dug.
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those FTs were unbelievable. didn’t DJ Wilson kind of reprise that later on at some point? he was shockingly good at them.
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Poole turned a dead post-St. Patrick’s Day party into an immediate sprint to Rick’s to celebrate and started an incredible run for senior year. Lot of memories over those few weeks. JP forever.
Other than that, MAAR and Moe were incredibly fun while being complete opposites personality-wise. MAAR going from hail mary, groan-worthy late take to invaluable contributor is the kind of stuff that makes college basketball so great.
Chaundee’s in-your-face style defense was not always conducive to success, but his energy was unmatched. Really wish we had gotten two years out of him because he was a lot of fun, and would have been electric in front of crowds.
X is the other one because at his best, his was slinging passes all over the court and had the ball on a complete string. His court vision was outstanding, and his hook shot made little sense and yet worked astoundingly well. Hoping Dug can reach somewhere near his level of maestro capability as he gets further into his career because he’s got similar levels of pure dawg.
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a story I forget about a lot but love is when they started biotracking the players during practice and found out Walton was just running himself way too hard in practice
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Off the top of my head:
Loy Vaught
Glen Rice
Jalen
Lou Bullock
Jamal Crawford
Spike
J-Mo
Rakhman
Eli Brooks
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That is one of my favorite seasons ever just because Derrick Walton decided to become a human flamethrower midway through the season; I would ride or die with 5 Derrick Waltons on a team.
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me, on October 21, 2021 about Kobe:
was wrong on one count, but absolutely right on the other. although, honestly, he had a little less sauce than i expected. so maybe it’s less juice and more broth. a more practical liquid. he had the broth!
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“oh, someone insulted my toughness? well what would you think if i became prime michael jordan but better?”
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To preface, this will be ordered chronologically from start of my life basically to now lol
1st - Trey Burke
2013 is essentially the first time I was old enough (9) to really watch and understand basketball. DMB43 Dad went to Michigan and brainwashed me pretty early so I was a day one believer. The shot was really the defining moment and I remember essentially bursting out in happy tears feeling overwhelmed with emotion and ran around with my Dad. What he did for Michigan and how he was the best player in the first season I can really remember makes him my first favorite player.
2nd - Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman
This one essentially boils down to me attending the youth basketball camps John Beilein would run in the summer. I remember one of the proudest moments was during the open scrimmage part of the camp my “coach” was Walton and we played MAAR’s team. I was one of the youngest kids at camp and had a very fundamental and fluid game that would mostly fly under the radar. However, when playing MAAR’s team all I remember is every time I would touch the ball MAAR would yell “shooter, step up”. That’s all it took I felt so confidence and started burying threes that game LOL. I’m pretty sure MAAR even tried to ask for a trade for me!!
3rd - Charles Matthews
I am a sucker for players that “got that dawg in them”. Charles embodies toughness and heart and was so fun to watch. He commanded our defense, helped lead us to a title game, and laughed in Nick Ward’s face!! His athleticism saved us vs FSU in 2018. Love that man!!!
4th - Franz Wagner
LENGTH IS LETHAL. Once again, I’m a sucker for lengthy and athletic wings. Absolute dawg and had his unstoppable finger roll layup that he’d shoot from over the rim since he was so lanky.
5th - Chaundee Brown
Dawg in him. Check! Wing that plays with heart. Check! Need I say more?
6th - Caris LeVert
Now this may seem out of order, but somehow over the years Caris has become essentially a “friend of a friend”. I’ve never talked to or had any interaction with him, but just a funny relationship so I had to root for him.
7th - ISAIAH BARNES
SNIPER, BOUNCY, AND A WING! GIVE IT TO ME. YALL KNOW THAT’S MY GUY. TULSA LET’S RIDE. Don’t think I need to elaborate on how much I enjoyed his Michigan tenure.
8th - 
(my commitment coming soon?)
6.5th - Zeb Jackson erasure
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On January 11th, Maverick Morgan calls Michigan a white collar team.
Derrick Walton the rest of the year:
Difference between him and BIFM at #2 on the all knowing Torvik offensive stat is the same as the difference between #2 and #17. Shot 44% from 3 on tremendous volume. DWalt deserved that 3 against Oregon to go down more than anyone out there.
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Stauskas - fell in love with his game from the first recruiting highlight video I watched. And he lived up to my own hype. Who couldn’t love the swagger he played with? The MSU kiss to the crowd will live in rivalry lore. I also bought myself a #11 jersey (and I wore #11 when I played ball back in my day).
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Darius Morris - I was so hyped when we landed him. I remember he took his official visit to UM on a football Saturday and he showed up with JMo at my girlfriend’s (now wife) house party. I briefly chatted with him and told him he was going to be the start of bringing Michigan basketball back. Get the F off my floor was another iconic rivalry moment. Absolutely loved his passing and big guard post game. The half court thread the needle passes were a thing of beauty.
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Trey - Not much needed to say with him. Best player to wear a Michigan uniform in the last 25-30 years. The Keith Appling pocket pick into a slam was another iconic rivalry moment. I’ll never forget the shot either. Watched at a bar and it was pandemonium.
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Dion Harris - I had his jersey. Played against him in the HS playoffs and he had like 35 against us. He had so much hype after those battles he had with Lebron in high school too. I think he would have been really good had he played under Beilein. Amaker’s offense always drove me nuts.
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Mo Wagner - the swag, the tongue, the run to the title game. He was a very fun player and got under everyone’s skin. And yet another iconic rivalry moment, absolutely dropping Nik Ward. Plus he helped Michigan acquire his younger brother, Franz.
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C-Webb - although this one I admit is more based on his post-Michigan career because I was too young to enjoy the Fab 5. The Sacramento Kings were my favorite NBA team in the early 2000s. The way they moved the ball unselfishly was a thing of beauty. And C-Webb’s passing ability (along with Divac and later Brad Miller) helped unlock that offense into what it was.
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D-Walt. His senior year was magical. He went on one of the best runs of any Michigan player in recent memory. That Nate Mason got first team all conference over him was a crime and the voters should still be locked away in prison for that. Plus he was the catalyst for the incredible plane crash Big Ten Tournament run and a near miss (and DJ Wilson missed box out) in the Sweet 16 from that Magic continuing toward a possible final four.
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Daniel Horton - Michigan was going through the dark days and suddenly they landed a McDonald’s All-American recruit. I was pumped. He never quite brought Michigan back to the tournament though. Another player I think would have been great under Beilein, out of the Amaker offense.
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Franz - his defensive ability and basketball IQ were on another level. He made everyone better and helped erase all kinds of defensive mistakes. It’s too bad that the UCLA game had to be the final memory of him because he was the real key to that Michigan team winning the Big Ten and getting a 1 seed.
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Sweet Lou Bullock - I have always loved shooters and he set the Michigan record for 3s and FTs. He also wore #11, which I mentioned was my number. Unfortunately, his records are vacated and he’s one of the primary people who led to the dark days of Michigan basketball.
HM: McGary, Poole, Livers, X, Iggy, Caleb Love
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On the bench vs NW ( might not be remembering it right but I think it was NW ) , season hung in the balance and you see him get mad at himself and he was taking to himself etc. you could see him change.
Came off the bench a new player.
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Aw man cmon 
my curse is so notorious it’s a perfect meme
This is actually incredible and scary accurate
Maar was always my guy though.
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Walton had one of those shots that just looked like every time he released the ball, I thought “that’s money”. I would rather have 2017 Walton over any other Michigan player to take a pressure 3.
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This is a cool topic and definitely lifts my spirits about M basketball right now. I saw Bullock at high school game in Raleigh where he scored 40+ points so I became a huge fan during his time at Michigan.
Really surprised no one has mentioned Mo Wagner. He was pure joy the way he played as a big with behind the back dribble drive moves. But the best thing about him was the way he punished State at State.
I loved watching Glenn Rice and won $350+ in 89 when I won first and second in the office Tourney pool. We were allowed to play two enties and i had 3 of 4 FF teams on both sheets, including Illini and Michigan.
CWeb was the first “soft hands” big I paid attention to and he’s on any list I make about Wolverine hoops.
For guards I admired so many of them, including Burke of course (the block was clean!). But MAAR was special to me.
I’m leaving several out from my era (Mcgee, Hubbard), but really enjoyed thinking about this question. Thanks!
Edit: blacked out and forgot about X. I just loved his life story of never getting credit he deserved and then crafting the hook and getting respectable from 3. Too bad Cassius owned him as a Sr.
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My wife is from SoCal and Gary was her “friend” from some workout classes that they took together haha. She had no real idea who he was, but I think they connected by the Michigan workout gear.
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