Something I’ve been curious about - what age groups are represented on this site? There are clearly a lot of “youths” that I enjoy hearing from - and I get the sense from references to specific teams that there a decent number in my age range (soon to be 50).
This line of thought was prompted by watching my nephews (12 and 8) enjoy the title run and reflecting that I was 12 when Michigan won the 1989 title
I may create a poll in a moment to get things started.
I’m old enough 
When you first became a Michigan basketball fan the program was in the midst of….
do you think no new fans were created between 1994 and 2000 
some would say those fans are among our strongest soldiers
@silverblue how old am I
Hahahahahahahahaha this is an excellent point
i was trying to not create a totally overwhelming number of options
Late Stage Fisher, Ellerbe, Juwan and May were also considered but I kept it fairly broad
Born in 89, no real memories of the Fisher era. First college basketball memories are winning the conference tournament title and losing to UCLA in the second round and crying because my first ever bracket got busted on the first weekend. Little did I know that that’d be the last tournament game I saw until I was an adult.
That 98 team was good. Traylor had a great season and Jerod Ward was starting to fulfill the promise of his recruiting profile. And Robbie Reid was a solid bench guy.
Born in 85, first memories are definitely Fab 5. Had five years at UM as a Maize Rager and never got a tourney appearance.
First team I remember watching was the 93 fab five team. First team I followed every game was the 96 team (Fab Five II!)
I voted ‘89 because that was the year I learned Michigan basketball existed (good timing!) but I really became a diehard in the Fab Five years. The ‘93 loss to UNC is still one of the toughest losses I’ve ever experienced. And then, after getting spoiled by three national title games in five years, that decade out of the tourney was rough.
I became a fan during April of Dusty May’s second season.
What I’ve learned so far is that so many of you started as fans during the dark ages and let me just say you all earned the right to enjoy the current state of the program
In fairness to Amaker his teams weren’t bad. They were just boring and had no potential to get better or win a memorable game.
But it clearly didn’t prevent fans from emerging…. impressed with all of you in that age bracket
A follow up question…. did you have family or an older sibling that led to you becoming a fan, or did you simply find your own way to Michigan as a fan?
First game I remember was the Cornbread Maxwell loss in ‘77. I was 9 years old. Grew up a M fan due to Rick Leach living in my family’s neighborhood in Flint. Really started following M hoops during the early 80s, Eric Turner/Leslie Rockymore era. Then became hooked with the 83/84? first Fab Five class, Tarpley/Rellford/Wade/Henderson/Jokisch. Then came the best M player ever (from Flint also) Glen Rice. Thanks for ‘89! The Fab Five years. Some pretty good but underachieving late Fisher teams. The lean years followed till Beilein. Juwan started great but faded fast. Now Dusty has us rolling in 2 years. Thanks for ‘26! Now that I’m in my late 50s. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. It’s been a lot of fun with a few downers over the years but really looking forward to the future.
I’m 49, was born in Ann Arbor and my mom is an alum (dad went to Eastern but always a big Michigan fan). My first memories of Michigan basketball are when Tim McCormick led the team to an NIT title, although I was too young to really know what was going on. I was aware of Tarpley, Joubert, and Garde Thompson in the following years, but really became devoted as Gary Grant was coming on the scene.
Ok we have the same reference points. Gary Grant is what got me on board. I’m a Columbus, Ohio native and loved the idea that Grant was an Ohio guy (same high school as many OSU greats) who chose UM. I have a brother who attended Michigan but I did not - just a huge basketball fan. But yes - I have vague memories of the 84 NIT team and then really enjoyed the 85-89 run.
If there’s one thing I always want younger fans to know it’s just how good Gary Grant was. Incredible player who would be even better in the modern game.
Amazing summary. Captures the history in a nutshell.
My first real basketball memories were during the Fab 5 2.0 era with Mo Taylor, Tractor Traylor, Willie Mitchell, Jerod Ward, Louis Bullock, Maceo Baston, Albert White and co.
I wore #11 as my basketball number all growing up through high school, not because of Isiah Thomas, but because of Lou Bullock.
My college years were during the Amaker era. Wasn’t a lot of fun on the hoops side
My dad was a UM grad - the McCormick team that won the NIT is really my first memory.