photo: Melanie Maxwell at AnnArbor.com I was at the 1993 Final Four in New Orleans two decades ago as a U-M student and it was certainly a trip I’ll never forget it. After we drove down (yep, from Ann Arbor to New Orleans) we went over to pick up our tickets. Just a moment after they were in my hands I was offered $3,500 my pair to the semis and finals from a broker holding a bound stack of bills the size of a roll of duct tape (my primo student seats were 18 rows behind the bench). I remember Mitch Albom happened to be there at that moment and saw us struggling with the dilemma. He asked us if we were staying out of trouble or something like that. (None of your business old man!) For a few different reasons I couldn’t bite on that tasty offer. File under Cool Story Bro. The sting of that brutal ending in ‘93 lingers for sure but the whole experience was amazing. The semifinal game against Kentucky was one of the best I’ve ever seen and the ensuing trip to Bourbon Street and the ensuing sunrise, etc.., were truly epic. And regarding that sting, I’ve seen enough football nailbiters—both bitter and sweet—to numb the pain of Webber’s untimely timeout. I still…
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Cool Cat
It’s a beautiful day! No question the star of the game was this guy, who once again showed poise beyond his years: That photo was taken after Burke’s first start of the year in game 2 against Towson. Back then I wrote this: Burke is a cool cat for a true freshman by the way. He admitted he was a little nervous before the game after [getting] the nod for the start, but he certainly wasn’t nervous breaking the game down for the media. I think that was the last time he was nervous because that’s a cool dude. He’s cooler than Treezy with shades in the Maize Rage. And he not only led the team with the ball most notably creating the game winning score, he made several very nice plays on defense. In the final seconds (after he’d been on the court all but a couple minutes of the game) he had the awareness to help out Novak to stop Green’s drive just past the stripe, and he while he didn’t get the rebound, he turned, got a body on Green and broke up Green’s attempt to tip the ball in. Radio >> As an aside, I had the unique opportunity to listen to a portion of the game on the radio while heading back to the area. …
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Covering Crisler
A little show and tell. I thought I’d share a few thoughts about the media experience covering hoops as I made it to the Towson game Monday. First, a view from the new media section: The media used to sit in two rows: one midway up the lower bowl (where the students sit today, see the maize rage filling in above) and another just below the concourse in the blue section as well. The perspective was a bit closer in the Blue section before of course, but the new area is more spacious and has a nice angle on the game. I asked a few media vets what they thought of the new space and they seemed pretty good with it. The postgame was pretty interesting. At the end of the game, U-M media relations walked around with a shortlist, asking the press with whom they wanted to speak after the game. I wanted to ask for Jalen but didn’t. Most of the media who hang around postgame then head down on the court, through the tunnel and wind down a hallway (not quite the kitchen in Good Fellas) and enter the Junge Center—the building between Crisler and the Big House. Shortly after the players arrived, spread around the room and took questions for about 10-15 minutes. A few shots:…
