Tumultuous season ends with first Big Ten title in 13 years

A second-round loss to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament left Michigan men's basketball fans wondering what could have been after a surprising 1996-97 season.

Despite a tumultuous offseason leading up to the campaign, which culminated in the firing of head coach Steve Fisher in the wake of numerous allegations, Michigan's season was its best since the departure of the Fab Five.

The leadership of Robert Traylor, emergence of Jerod Ward and the addition of Robbie Reid helped coach Brian Ellerbe's Wolverines to a 25-9 record, the first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Ellerbe was appointed interim coach less than three weeks before the start of the season.

But the 34-year old Capitol Heights, Md., native worked closely with assistants Scott Trost and Brian Dutcher to help put the Wolverines on the right track.

FILE PHOTO Guard Louis Bullock helped lead the Wolverines to victory in the first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

After failing to receive an NCAA Tournament bid the previous season, Michigan launched itself back into the national spotlight with a thrilling upset of then-No. 1 Duke early in the season.

The win sparked a stretch in which the Wolverines won 13 of 15 games.

But back-to-back midseason losses to Illinois and Purdue dashed Michigan's hopes for its first Big Ten regular season championship since 1986.

The Wolverines followed with an important win at Iowa, however, and later capped off their season with an unprecedented, 112-64, annihilation of Indiana in front of a raucous home crowd and a victory over Purdue in the championship game of the innagural Big Ten Tournament at Chicago's United Center.

The Wolverines rode their wave of momentum into the postseason with a first-round NCAA Tournament win over No. 14 seed Davidson.

But any hopes of a Cinderella story out of Ann Arbor were destroyed when UCLA ended the Wolverines' season with an 85-82 defeat.

The game was the final in a Michigan uniform for seniors Travis Conlan, Maceo Baston and Jerod Ward, as well as for junior Robert Traylor, who declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft after the season.

Despite the disappointing finale, Ellerbe earned himself the permanent job as Michigan head coach, but must go on with out Dutcher, who resigned following the season.

After spending all of last season without a third assistant, Ellerbe has taken measurable steps this summer to ensure a quality staff.

Dutcher's departure means the loss of ten years of Michigan experience. In his stead, three new faces have joined Ellerbe and Trost on the Crisler grounds.

The newly created position of administrative associate will be filled by Tom Sorboro, who aided Ellerbe during his tenure as head coach at Loyola (Md.).

Lorenzo Neely, an Eastern Michigan product, will fulfill the role of restricted-earnings coach, bringing his local experience to the recruiting process.

Dutcher's spot as Ellerbe's right-hand man will be held by Kurtis Townsend.

While Michigan loses the nucleus of its team for the upcoming season, center Josh Asselin and guard Brandon Smith showed potential in their freshman seasons.

With sharpshooter Louis Bullock and Robbie Reid anchoring the perimeter, the Wolverines should remain strong in the backcourt. But the Wolverines will be hard-pressed to replace the 300-pound Traylor in the middle.

Attempting to fill the large void left by the departed few will be two recruits whose decision to attend Michigan was made before Fisher was fired.

Chris Young, a forward from Detroit Catholic Central will add depth to Ellerbe's front line while Leon Jones will learn from Bullock and Reid in the backcourt.

Jones, who originally committed a year earlier to the Wolverines attended a prep school last year as he sought to meet Michigan's academic guidelines.

09-08-98