Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 6, 1993 TAG: 9305060061
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ANN ARBOR, MICH. LENGTH: Medium
"Not winning a college championship makes leaving hard to do, but that's not going to make or break me," Webber said at a news conference, joined by his family and Michigan coach Steve Fisher.
"It's a decision I felt was necessary for me to keep moving and move on," Webber said. "There's no doubt in my mind that I'm ready for the next level."
Webber, whose illegal timeout call with 11 seconds to play cost Michigan a last chance to win the NCAA title, was a part of the recruiting class considered one of the best in history.
Michigan lost to Duke in the 1992 title game and to North Carolina this year, but Webber said he has no regrets.
"I learned how to be patient," he said. "I learned how to take criticism. I learned how not to make excuses. That's it, but it's a lot."
Webber joined Michigan along with Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Juwan Howard and Ray Jackson, and the unit quickly became known as the "Fab Five." Webber led the Wolverines in scoring, rebounding, shooting percentage and blocks.
They were blown out in the championship game last year by Duke. This year the Wolverines trailed North Carolina by two points with 11 seconds left when Webber called a timeout his team didn't have. The resulting technical foul sealed the victory - and the title - for the Tar Heels.
"That was just one play," Webber said. "If I can play a good game and just mess up 30 seconds, I can live with that."
Webber is expected to be among the top three picks in the June 30 draft.
Webber said the lure of a weighty NBA contract was a "big part" of his decision, but not all.
"I've been poor all my life. I could wait another year," he said. "I'll always be OK, even without basketball. There's no one concrete reason I should leave, but it just felt right."
by CNB