1989 National Champs Recall 'Goose Bumps' and Heroics at Anniversary Celebration
2/24/2019 10:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- They returned home here Sunday afternoon (Feb. 24) to a home that had been renovated to extremes they could not have imagined back when they were Wolverines.
The members of the University of Michigan's 1989 NCAA men's basketball national champions looked around at the Taj Mahal facility that's been added to the Crisler Arena they played in, shaking their heads at the two full basketball practice floors with viewing balconies, world-class physical training equipment, whirlpools, nutrition stations, locker room rotunda, video rooms, luxurious coaching offices and suites, trophy cases and more.
The arena also was upgraded and modernized several years ago with plush seats, interactive fan displays, and a huge, four-sided overhead scoreboard.
Still, the best thing about what is now called Crisler Center is something those Wolverines brought home with them from the Final Four at the Kingdome in Seattle. It's the blue banner with maize lettering hanging from the south end of the arena:
NCAA
CHAMPIONS
BASKETBALL
1989
M
Glen Rice, who showed the way to that title, was moved by the 30th anniversary celebration and new surroundings.
"Man, this facility has grown," said Rice. "I wished we'd have had it like this back then. I promise you this: We probably would've won back-to-back. I mean, the equipment they have now and the ability to get the preparation in now -- we had it 100 percent, but now it's at 1,000. We can develop muscles we never saw on our bodies, and the nutritional level I see with these kids is remarkable. They're incredible athletes. If we'd have been able to mix that in then, it would've been a sight."
Still, that team had four future NBA first-rounders in Rice, center Terry Mills, forward Loy Vaught and point guard Rumeal Robinson. Swing man Sean Higgins would go in the second round.
"As far as the reunion," Rice continued, "I can't say or describe (the feeling of) being among my brothers, among the guys who accomplished the ultimate goal in NCAA basketball achievement with the 1989 championship, 30 years later. When we walked on the court yesterday to see the young guys (current Wolverines), we said, 'You know what? I think we can take them out.'"
The reporters gathered laughed, and Rice admitted, "We'd give 'em a pretty good go for the first five minutes. After that, we'd be history."
Higgins joked that "I didn't know whether to put on my sweats or a suit," noting that his competitive juices began flowing by being back. He shot three-pointers once again with Rice during their return to Crisler. Over the final four games of the 1989 tourney, Higgins made 11-of-22 treys and Rice made 19-of-33 to become an unstoppable tandem that also was adept at scoring inside.
"If it wasn't for this guy right here," said Higgins, "I probably wouldn't have played in the NBA. Glen Rice challenged me every day in practice. When I came here, I was an offensive player. I knew nothing about defense, and guarding this guy, you better play some defense."
From left: Glen Rice, Sean Higgins and Rob Pelinka.
Rice, whose No. 41 is one of five numbers retired at Michigan, was the Big Ten's career scoring leader with 2,442 points when he stepped off that court in Seattle.
Higgins continued, "And then the camaraderie we had on our team, our closeness as brothers, that was something that really stayed with me. I work with young players now, and I always try to instill in them that the camaraderie and relationships you have are forever. Now, we have an opportunity to get together again and meet each other's families. That is really special, and I appreciate the university doing that for us."
The '89 champs also are big fans of these Wolverines, who are coming off consecutive Big Ten Tournament championships and a trip to the 2018 national championship game.
Rice said, "They've been doing a tremendous job under (head coach John) Beilein, who I always say is the next Bo Schembechler because you know Bo Schembechler and the clout he had here and the understanding he had about being a Michigan man. Beilein is definitely fitting up under that description."
Rice, who set an NCAA Tournament scoring record that still stands (182 points over six games), was joined prior to the game with head coach Steve Fisher and teammates Higgins and Rob Pelinka to meet with media members.
They also were part of a halftime recognition with teammates Vaught, Mills (now the Michigan radio analyst), Mark Hughes (co-captain along with Rice), Mike Griffin, Kirk Taylor, Marc Koenig, Chris Seter and James Voskuil. Robinson, whose two free throws clinched the 80-79 championship game win over Seton Hall, didn't attend. Guard Demetrius Calip remained home in Los Angeles, recovering from a recent stroke.
Fisher had been welcomed back by Beilein.
"Angie and I are thrilled to be back in town," said Fisher, who attended with his wife. "When we drove into Ann Arbor (Friday), a lot of memories flashed back -- a lot of great memories. And I looked at her and said, 'I haven't been back to Crisler since 1997. That's a long time.'
"But I'm here, and I'm excited to be here. John Beilein and I are good friends, and he's one of the reasons I'm here. But the real reasons are the players, the managers and the staff we had when we had the privilege to serve here and be part of this great university."
Fisher was the interim coach who led Michigan to wins over Xavier, South Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois and Seton Hall.
"It's impossible to do," Fisher said. "But one (team) every year does, and you have to have a little bit of fortune -- we had that. You have to have great talent -- we had that -- indicative of Glen Rice still holding the six-game NCAA scoring record that will never be broken. He averaged over 30 points a game in leading his team to the championship.
"And when he missed, I looked at (Brian) Dutcher and said, 'What happened?' So, we've got Sean Higgins here and we've got Rob Pelinka here and what makes a coach feel proud is not what they were, but what they are and they've become. And I'm so proud of all of them because they've represented themselves, their families and this university with tremendous pride."
Steve Fisher waves to the crowd during Sunday's halftime ceremony.
Pelinka played in two more Final Fours, became an agent with clients such as Kobe Bryant and James Harden, and now is rebuilding the Los Angeles Lakers as their general manager.
Higgins played six seasons in the NBA and has become director of Nine Star Basketball, developing and exposing top high school talent. He lives in Las Vegas and also has business interests and runs a charity foundation started by his late mother.
Rice scored 18,336 points in the NBA over 15 seasons, won an NBA title with the Lakers, was a three-time All-Star and now scouts and serves as an ambassador for the Miami Heat.
"I want to the be the first player today to make sure you understand how grateful we are to see our coach, the man who was in charge, Steve Fisher, back in town," said Rice. "I think now we can say the second half of the mission is complete because we have our leader back with us."
Steve Fisher and Terry Mills share a moment on the court.
The game they all attended between No. 7 Michigan and No. 10 Michigan State didn't bring the result they'd hoped for with a 77-70 Wolverine defeat. But something Pelinka recalled prior to tipoff served as an example that losing such a game can be galvanizing. Illinois beat the Wolverines, 89-73, in the final 1989 regular-season game after earlier beating Michigan by 12 points in Champaign.
However, a putback shot by Higgins with one second to go in the national semifinal game made the Wolverines 83-81 winners over the Illini in the game that mattered most.
"We wanted to honor this guy (Rice) with a big win against the Fighting Illini (on Senior Day)," said Pelinka, "and they came in here, and 'Woooo ... they scored.' But it was a gift, and it was a payback (in the Final Four) and a dish best served cold."
Rice grinned and added, "It just happened to be hot Rice."
They worked as well as a comedy tandem as they did as players.
Pelinka, a three-point shooter who later energized teams off the bench, joked about being on the team for his grade-point average more than his scoring average. But even though he averaged only 1.1 points per game as a freshman, he helped Rice get ready for games with three-point shooting challenges that finished with deep shots.
"I remember literally being in the locker room for the national championship game and being prepared to go out and play Seton Hall," said Pelinka. "And this dude (Rice), who was so cold-blooded, was literally sleeping on the trainer's table, getting his mind right.
"We were all getting taped, wondering what our commander-in-chief of this basketball team, Coach Fisher, was going to say. I still get goose bumps thinking about this story, and I told Steve this the other night. It was almost like a scene out of a movie. We all had our folding chairs, there was the white board, the chalkboard.
"And Coach Fisher said, 'Here's what I want you guys to do as a team. We're in the (Kingdome), an unbelievable facility, and the pageantry of the Final Four is unlike anything you can experience in sports.' And this particular year, they had hung huge banners for every single national championship basketball team. So, you had all the great schools, the Kentuckys and Dukes, hanging around (the dome). He said, 'When you guys go out and warm up for the game, I want you to look up in the rafters and look at those banners, and I want you to know that 1989 is going to say the University of Michigan Wolverines.'
"It was one of those goose bump moments, and we went out and accomplished our mission."
More on the 1989 National Champs
Friday (Feb. 22): Despite having four future first-round NBA draft picks in Terry Mills, Glen Rice, Rumeal Robinson and Loy Vaught, this team had several reasons why it was an unlikely NCAA champion. Coach Steve Fisher, guard Sean Higgins (a future second-round NBA selection), Mills and Rice reflect on what has changed over the past 30 years, and what hasn't. » Story
Wednesday (Feb. 20): In a lengthy conversation with MGoBlue.com, Steve Fisher discusses when he felt confident that Bo Schembechler would name him the full-time head coach, the wild ride to the championship, life in San Diego and current Wolverine coach John Beilein's role in bringing him back for the 30th anniversary celebration. » Story
Monday (Feb. 18): MGoBlue.com's Steve Kornacki, the Detroit Free Press Wolverines beat writer in 1988-89, recalls breaking the story on Bill Frieder leaving for Arizona State, his unique insights into new coach Steve Fisher, the closest Final Four games ever, and the team's trip to the White House for a lively time with President George H.W. Bush. » Story
