The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? gram," Russell said. "After that ter- rible year that we had — I'm not go- ing to say that Johnny had, but we had — C.J. Kupec and I went to him the day after the season ended. "We said, 'John, we're going to get this thing back right.' He even cried that day, when we were sitting there talking about it. He knew that we were sincere about it. At the same time, he knew that's what needed to happen." Russell insists the players knew as well, far beyond the duo that went to see Orr. "We were all of the same mind," Russell recalled. "We kind of saw how bad it was, when there weren't relationships. My sophomore year, we had so much talent on this team. Henry Wilmore, in my opinion, was one of the best players in Michigan history. This guy could really play. "Ken Brady, and some others … there were just no relationships on that team. There was no chemistry, there was no feel, there was no love, there was no care for each other. You could not be successful in that era in that way." The following season, it all changed, Russell noted. The juniors formed a nucleus of a Big Ten title team, Russell averaging 23.7 points per game, and Kupec, Britt and John- son all contributing between 10 and 14 on average. The Wolverines stormed to a 22-5 season, including a 12-2 record in the Big Ten. The latter mark put them in a deadlock with Bob Knight's In- diana Hoosiers, who were led by Quinn Buckner and Kent Benson. A one-game playoff settled the champi- onship in those days, and Michigan rose to the occasion, knocking off the Hoosiers 75-67 in Champaign, Ill. The Russell-led crew knocked off Notre Dame in round two of the NCAA Tournament that year, getting a bye in round one. The win thrust the Wolverines into the Elite Eight, where they lost an agonizing game to Marquette, 72-70. That Michigan crew, Russell in- sisted, stayed together on every level. "We had relationships with each other, and we shared a lot of things with each other, hung out with each other," he recalled. "That's what helped us become the Big Ten champs and go on to be in the final eight. "If you saw us, you would say, who are these guys? They're not even that good. They're not big. But when we got on the court, and when the game was over, everybody said, 'Wow. That was a helluva team we just played.'" Had they all stayed together for another year … well, that's a discus- sion in which they still engage, jok- ingly or ruefully, depending upon the mood. After lighting it up as a junior, Russell faced a big decision. Stick around and try to win it all, or strike when the NBA was clearly calling? Russell looks back on it even now with some angst. He doesn't feel his decision to move on to the pros was controversial, but more of a call he needed to make. "At the same time, as I look back