Jalen Rose thought Duke basketball was full of 'Uncle Toms,' plus more on his Fab Five documentary
Jalen Rose played on the Fab Five teams at Michigan.
Now he’s helped produce a documentary about the college basketball program that created a culture shift in basketball with black socks and baggy pants. The film premieres Sunday night (ESPN, 9 p.m.).
“This will be the Bible of the Fab Five story,” Rose said on a teleconference Tuesday afternoon. “…We really went in-depth about everything, the good, the bad, the ugly, the scandal.”
Movies have been made and books have been written about the Fab Five but Rose believes this is a more complete telling of their saga, with a rare Michigan interview of former Wolverines coach Steve Fisher, along with an interview with Ed Martin’s son, Carlton.
Michigan's Jalen Rose, right, works against Duke's Bobby Hurley in 1992.
Ann Arbor News file photo
The film, which had a rough cut length of 1 hour, 37 minutes in a screener provided to AnnArbor.com, were at points insightful and at other times explosive.
This was proven when the Fab Five — four of them, actually, as Chris Webber declined to be interviewed for the film — talked about playing Duke as freshmen. The Blue Devils were the No. 1 team in the country.
"Duke was the opposite of what we did," Rose said in the teleconference. "...It was like two forces of nature, like good versus evil."
And the Fab Five hated the Blue Devils.
“For me, Duke was personal. I hated Duke and I hated everything I felt Duke stood for,” Rose says in the film. “Schools like Duke didn’t recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms.”
“The faces of Duke, I didn’t like them,” Jimmy King said.
“I hated Duke. I hated Duke,” Ray Jackson said.
“Coach K, you have Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, yeah, they winning and keep in mind they won a championship the year before," Juwan Howard said. "I respect that but we are talented, too.”
“I was jealous of Grant Hill. He came from a great black family, congratulations,” Rose said. “Your mom went to college and was roommates with Hillary Clinton. Your dad played in the NFL, is a very well-spoken and successful man. I was upset and bitter that my mom had to bust her hump for 20-plus years. I was bitter that I had a professional athlete that was my father that I didn’t know.”
A lot of the hate was directed toward Laettner, who was considered the best player on the Duke team and was often the catalyst when people pointed out what they didn’t like about Duke.
“Duke was like America’s team and Christian Laettner was like God and I didn’t like him,” Howard said.
“I thought Christian Laettner was soft,” King said.
“Overrated,” Jackson said.
“Pretty boy,” Howard said.
Others had more disparaging words for the former Duke standout not suitable for using here.
Rose said Tuesday he respects Duke's program and its coach, Mike Krzyzewski.
The film also covered the recruitment of each Fab Five member and broke down what happened during the fabled Webber timeout call during the 1993 championship game against North Carolina.
Rose also discussed an incident in which he was caught hanging out in a supposed Detroit crack house as well as the Ed Martin payment scandal that concluded with NCAA violations - ones that eventually forced Michigan to take down the Fab Five’s Final Four banners and store them in the Bentley Historical Library.
It also showed some of the hate-filled letters the Fab Five received from Michigan alumni and others decrying what the Fab Five stood for.
"The most explosive part of the film is that it just had brutal honesty from beginning to end," Rose said.
Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein
Comments
rensational
Sun, Mar 13, 2011 : 10:22 p.m.
A whole lot of people here missing the point, which usually happens when issues like race come up. A lot of what Jalen Rose's comments indicate is the typical sentiment most people in our nation feel, which is resentment towards people perceive as being born with a silver spoon in their mouth. In other words, there's at least as much of a social class element to their hatred of Duke and then-Duke players as their is a racial or "racist" one. Again--most of us walk around with a problem with kids who come from families with money or families who don't have to struggle for pretty much anything, and most of the time no one has a problem when we express those feelings. It's hard to tell with all the negativity here, but if you're a Michigan fan or alum, you should know this already one way or the other. Being a Michigan alum myself, I have found that there are a lot of assumptions about the kind of people who attend Michigan, i.e. that we're like Dukies, i.e. rich, entitled and spoiled. I have felt that resentment towards me. I have also known and been one of the people at Michigan or whenever I go back to Ann Arbor to visit who looked around and took issue with how many obliviously affluent people there are at Michigan and in Ann Arbor, including so many of the black students. And it's uncomfortable to be somewhere like Michigan with a bunch of students from those upperclass backgrounds when you're not from that. I think this is more of what Rose and the other Fab Five members probably disliked about Duke than race, because they're talking about guys like Grant Hill, too. I don't know what Michigan was like in the early 90s, but based on when I was there from 2005-2008 I think there's not too much difference between what Rose et all seem to think Duke people are like and what a LOT of Michigan people are like. I love Michigan and all, but I'm just sayin'...
mun
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 5:32 p.m.
This is the real Fab Five: Glenn Rice, Terry Mills, Rumeal Robinson, Sean Higgins, Loy Vaught. As in the 1989 team that actually WON the national championship.
KeepingItReal
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 2:55 p.m.
Just like Cassie Russell who put Michigan's basketball on the national map, the Fab 5 revitalized the program but continue to get little respect. Unfortunately, Cassie tried to become the basketball coach at Michigan and for all he did for the program, he could not even get an interview. The Fab 5 revolutionalized the game, not just at Michigan but all throughout the United States at every college in this country that have a basketball program. Yet, some of you choose to castigate these young men for being themselves. What Jalen is trying to say is what he and the others thought as young men and at the same time provide some insight into how colleges recruit certain type of players. The same goes on today, its just less pronounced. After Manny and DeShawn exited the program, Michigan only recruit a certain type of black player. Michigan basket in its current state is a far cry from what it was when these young men were on campus. I hope young black athletes and their parents are following this conversation because no matter what contribution they make to the program, if they have any sense of pride or swagger, it turns a lot of people off to see this type of confidence in young black men. @Shouthernblu: Neither Ellerbe or Amaker was the cause of the program being mired in mediocrity. But here again because they were black, it easier to pin the poor program. FYI, Amaker is taking his Harvard team to the NCAA for the first ever for this program and they don't offer scholarships to players. He did it sooner than Beilein did at Michigan.
discgolfgeek
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 1:32 p.m.
First of all, the Fab 5 were by far the most exciting team to ever wear Michigan basketball uniforms. Yes they were undisciplined at times but always played unselfishly and were very underrated defensively. It is amazing that 5 freshmen went all the way to the NCAA title game and repeated that feat again as sophomores -- they lost to 2 of the best teams ever assembled in college basketball which is no shame at all. Of course, the shame is the scandal which will forever tarnish their achievements. As for Jalen's quote, he is saying what he thought as an 18 year-old basketball player from one of the poorest parts of Detroit. Tell me you wouldn't have thought the same thing if you were in his shoes. I can't wait to watch it, never have I enjoyed watching college basketball more than during their 2 -year rein in the early 90s. These guys would beat any college team out there today by double digits without even breaking a sweat.
garrisondyer
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 1:35 a.m.
@tater, I think we both might know that I don't always agree with you, but I've got to say I completely agree with what you said here. Go Blue!
tater
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 1:28 a.m.
This will be a great show. It's funny how some of the Fab Five's critics still use racial stereotypes even today, such as insinuating that they weren't "academically qualified." ESPN is picky; they don't hire ex-athletes who didn't go to class. Rose, in particular, went back to school and got his degree from UMUC while still working full time. He also has a very impressive resume. If Jalen Rose was Caucasian, people would see him as a "Renaissance Man." Sadly, some people can't get around the ebonic stereotype. I am glad that the show discusses race relations in America. It shows how far we had to go even then, and the "academically qualified" comment shows how far some of us have to go even now. Racial discussions are necessary not only because they help us understand each other , but they often reveal people for who they really are. Maybe someday, only one race will matter: the human race.
D21
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 2:18 a.m.
Integrity, lol.
D21
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 2:17 a.m.
For me, it isn't even about the race card at all and it is about I-N-T-G-E-R-I-T-Y and forgiveness. I forgave C-Webb and Rose a long time ago. There are better documentaries ESPN can do besides making this one.
garrisondyer
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 1:12 a.m.
Sweet! I can't wait to see this! I grew up idolizing these guys. I understand why some don't like their legacy one bit, but in the eyes of a 3rd/4th grader who shot hoops in the driveway during any/all free time, they were the faces of a youthful, energetic revolution taking place on a national stage. And they played for my beloved Wolverines? Bonus! Way to jam this trailer to Onyx, too. Loved that video on MTV.
spartyisyourlilsister
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 1:04 a.m.
Michigan basketball is back on the rise! The brashness and swagger of Hardaway Jr & Darius Morris is reminiscent of the Fab Five!! It's a great time to be a fan of the Wolverines!!! Glad I stuck with them through the hard times to enjoy their rise again!!!
spartyisyourlilsister
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:55 a.m.
The ignorance about the fab five on this board is astounding!! They were college basketball in the early 90's!! They made college hoops the most interesting sport at the time! College basketball is so vanilla now compared to then! Most likely the people making negative comments about them never even saw them play!
southernblu
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:47 a.m.
At least Jalen and the others were being honest about how they felt. That's not to say they were justified or right in their views. At least you know they aren't being fake. Besides, they are telling you what their 17, 18, and 19 year old minds thought of Duke. I suppose all the sanctimonious souls on this board had a fully developed and unassailable worldview at that age.
heartbreakM
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:42 a.m.
Irony: In the picture above, Rose is wearing white socks. And those shorts don't look much baggier than Hurley's. Other irony: In Fab Fives' first game vs. University of Detroit, they had 34 turnovers. That seemed to follow them throughout their career. A fundamental team they were not.
southernblu
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:37 a.m.
Wow, there's an awful lot of hate on these boards for the Fab Five. People really need to get over themselves--and they need to move on. Yes, Chris Webber ended up hurting the program somewhat. But. . . to put all of the blame for OUR basketball program's shortcomings on Webber and what happened then is shameless scapegoating. It wasn't like we received the NCAA death penalty. No, our program was mired in mediocrity for several years because of poor decisions. . . on the part of the administration. Hiring Ellerbe and Amaker was where we went wrong-- just as hiring Rodriguez started a major downward spiral with our football program.
steve
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 11:49 p.m.
Finally some players are open about their racism. I always suspected that much of the antagonism towards Duke was rooted in racism, and now the Fab Five has confirmed it. Callilng them 'Uncle Toms' and saying 'I didn't like their faces' can only be seen as racist comments. It's sad that Rose had a problem with Duke recruiting players that were both talented and come from a stable home life. What college wouldn't aspire to that in its basketball recruits? What university would not want players such as those that attend Duke? How many negative incidents can you recall a Duke basketball player being involved in either on or off the court? Duke is essentially on the academic level of Yale, Stanford, etc., so of course they are going to recruit kids that have the best combination of athletic and academic talent combined with a nurturing home life. To recruit students such as those isn't racist; it's intelligent. Rose admits he was jealous of the prototypical Duke basketball player, and it is jealousy that is at the root of almost all of the Duke hatred that is out there. If Duke wasn't great at what they do, they would not be disliked. They would simply be ignored.
Rod Johnson
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 1:25 a.m.
@DFSmith: not successful? Webber was Rookie of the Year, a five-time All-Star, a five-time all-NBA, and averaged 20 PPG and almost 10 rebounds a game for his career. I'd say he did all right.
a2girl
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 1:18 a.m.
Christian Laettner was suspended for failing multiple drug tests while he was with the Washington Wizards. So, I don't think Duke players (current or former) have some kind of special immunity to "negative incidents."
peg dash fab
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:43 a.m.
dfsmith, check your work. chris webber was never a star in the nba? he was an all-star in 1997! and in 2000! and 2001, 2002, and 2003! got it? all-star! that makes him a star! and juwan howard? he was an nba all-star in 1996. a star! an all-star!
heartbreakM
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:41 a.m.
Didn't Duke recruit Webber? I don't remember, but I think they did.
DFSmith
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:03 a.m.
Jalen Rose is just proving that while he can B'Ball a bit, he hasnt matured or learnt anything in the past 15 years or so. And remember, none of the fab Five did too well or were successful, in the sense they never became Stars in the NBA. He stil is behaving ghetto
TC
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 11:26 p.m.
It's time for Jalen Rose to get over himself.
751
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 11 p.m.
Whether you like them now or not, they were fun to watch, and made Michigan basketball wildly popular. Seriously, what sports fan didn't know who the Fab Five were even before the scandal? If you choose to discard the memories altogether, then so be it, but you can't rewrite history the way the record books may. And don't be naive enough to think that the Fab Five was the entire undoing of the program. Maybe you should try to be a tad more forgiving, as it appears the University is.
D21
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 9:42 p.m.
Yes, Michigan made some profits from the Fab 5 and while I like the players, I won't watch tonight's show at all.
MB111
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 9:31 p.m.
This was, by far, the most fun era of Michigan hoops. People will stand at their moral dais and cast stones for the misdeeds of the time. It was fun to watch - I'm sure people will decry the "streetball" style (make your own comments on race) I would also bet the University made more money on merchandise in this period than in any other 2+ year stretch ever. This made Michigan gear wildly popular.
heartbreakM
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:40 a.m.
I would argue that the most fun era of M hoops was Glen Rice's run to the tournament and that whole team. That was fun. Fab Five was celebrity, flash, brashness with a few wins. Lots of wins, but no championships. And the whole stain of Webber and his hypocritical stances of being "exploited" while taking loans of 675K that were not available to anyone--that all stinks. Talk about putting yourself above the institution. That's what I remember about the Fab Five.
D21
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
It ain't about liking the street ball or not but it is about how certain players cheated and how Michigan didn't check far enough to ensure it's cleanliness of the bb program, too bad.
D21
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 9:23 p.m.
Jalen, wallow in your shallowness all you want if you still feel that way about the "Uncle Tom" part. Grow up!
Ignatz
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 9:11 p.m.
In my book the Fab Four were much better than the Fab Five. And none of them was named Tom. Put that in your ball and bounce it.
lumberg48108
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 9 p.m.
Jalen has made a second career off his Fab Five fame - good for him - but he is a shameless self promoter and soon, people wont be able to take him seriously ... The Fab Five were big - but that was 20 years ago -- and U-M hoops has yet to fully recover from the mess they made! remember that Jalen ...
jcj
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 2:07 p.m.
DF Smith What? What other recruiting class comes to mind when talking about making it in the NBA? Your lack of knowledge on the subject might dictate that you be careful what you say.
peg dash fab
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 12:35 a.m.
dfsmith: chris webber was a five-time nba all-star and earned $176M in his 15-year career. jalen rose also played for more than 10 years. juwan howard (who, i believe is still on miami's roster!) was the first player to sign a $100M contract. not very successful?
DFSmith
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : midnight
I seem to remember that all 5 members of the fab Five were not very successful inthe NBA.
cwoody297
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 8:55 p.m.
I cannot wait to watch this..I loved watching the fab five play and loved what they brought to the court. As far as this whole "cheating" topic...I doubt there are many programs that didn't cheat some way or another. Not saying that it is right, because it most definitely is not..but Michigan's basketball program seems to still take a lot of heat for something that was probably going on and still does all over the country.. I can't disagree with the comments about Duke...they always have ugly players who I wanna punch in the face..but a great coach and a great program that is hard to contend with most years..If I was a player who played them every year..there would be a lot of hate built up so I can see why these comments were made
braggslaw
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 8:41 p.m.
Calling people uncle toms is a punk move Jalen. I am not a fan of Duke basketball but at least they didn't cheat.
Big Tex
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 8:13 p.m.
Argh; why does ANYONE care about these guys?? They won NOTHING. The whole thing is ludicrous. Talk about all bark and no bite.
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 8:05 p.m.
"I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms....." Perhaps Mr. Rose is confusing "uncle tom" with "academically qualified" ?
wolverinej
Wed, Mar 9, 2011 : 10:55 a.m.
I don't think he's confusing anything. From reading this article and without seeing the documentary, I think Jalen is just saying he didn't like Duke because of their preference on recruiting non-threatening upper class African American men. Instead of a judging a player based on their basketball ability, Jalen seems to be saying Duke judged a player based on their image. Which in the context of the early 1990's, is a very interesting commentary on our society.