After loss, Michigan appreciates past, relishes future

Michigan Wolverines guard Caris LeVert (left) sits in the locker room with teammates after losing to the Louisville Cardinals in the championship game in the 2013 NCAA mens Final Four at the Georgia Dome. (Photo: Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights
  • Michigan fell to Louisville in the national title game
  • Former Fab Five members visited the players afterwards
  • Jalen Rose said this Michigan team built its own 'legacy'

    ATLANTA — Some of the friends had traveled many miles, and the families from points scattered all around the country, brought together for the night and the game by one man.

    Two hours after coming up short in the biggest game of his long career, Michgian coach John Beilein walked into his team's hotel and managed a slight smile when he saw the crowd of more than 100 people there to welcome Michigan back. The smile grew as he got closer and could make out individual faces.

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    There were the Albrechts, a few hours removed from their son's breathtaking 17-point half. The Robinsons, after a season of alley-oops to their son. The rest, the families of back-ups and stars alike, also waiting to clap for the coach. And, of course, some buddies from way back when.

    Few words were necessary, but Beilein said them anyway. He told his dear friends and his players' parents how he'd been trying to build a successful program the right way. He told them how the Wolverines made so much progress this season. He told them, emphatically, "The best is yet to come."

    Beilein's wife, Kathleen, stood quietly off to the side against the wall, watching her husband shake hands and hear people tell him that he'd just had a heck of a season.

    University of Michigan's Coach John Beilein described the locker room as the most emotional he's ever seen and commended Louisville for playing better than his team did.

    Thirty-one wins to just eight losses. His first Final Four, his first title game appearance – and Michigan's first since 1993. His best recruiting class had blossomed into arguably the best freshman class in the nation at the exact right time.

    The way the NCAA tournament works, every team except one finishes with a loss. Only one locker room was filled with smiles instead of red, puffy eyes when the clock struck midnight Monday night. It was easy to forget what these Wolverines had accomplished amid a sea of tears, falling because of shots missed, a foul not given, little mistakes here or there. Nik Stauskas' eyes had seemed redder than anyone else's in the Michigan locker room. Caught in the bright lights of television cameras, Stauskas stammered through some answers after scoring just three points in two games at the Georgia Dome.

    "It hurts a lot because we came all this way," Stauskas said. "We really came together as brothers. I just love every single one of these guys."

    Said Burke: "A lot of people didn't expect us to even get this far."

    Some of the seniors addressed the team after the 82-76 loss to Louisville. Their messages were all the same; they emphasized respect, love and, yes, brotherhood. Senior captain Josh Bartelstein said he'd never been a part of a closer team, which was somewhat surprising considering the makeup of this roster.

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    There were superstars and mega-hyped freshmen, pegged as the "Fresh Five," a group of elite young players arriving in Ann Arbor 20 years after the "Fab Five." There was Trey Burke, the do-everything point guard with pro prospects who had passed up a chance to go to the NBA last summer. There was Tim Hardaway Jr. coming off a down year and wanting so badly to carry this team. There were the upperclassmen who knew they'd be forced to the sidelines and the shadows.

    Yet somehow it worked, up until there were 15 minutes left in the second half of the national championship game when the Wolverines lost their lead for good.

    "Michigan is a brotherhood – the puffy eyes, the red eyes you see, speaks to that love," Michigan assistant coach Bacari Alexander said. "This group accomplished nothing short of something remarkable."

    NCAA TOURNEY: The best performances

    Players acknowledged there's a difference between being teammates and brothers, yet they all used the latter when talking Monday night. They said there was a meeting, back before the season began, in which they all shared the worst things that had happened to them in the past two years. That's where the brotherhood began, and players began openly speaking of love between one another.

    "Two 19-year-old guys said 'I love you' (Monday night)," Beilein said. "That's deep stuff."

    "There were stories about people dying, it was as deep as you can get," Bartelstein said. "Everyone was in tears. … We tried to get everyone to respect each other because of the people we are, not just the athletes we are."

    When that happens, it's harder for players to surrender and let each other down, assistant coach LaVall Jordan said. And that's why Stauskas's eyes were red, and Albrecht's were puffy. The seniors had cried, too.

    They think, in a few days, the steps they've taken will sink in and the sting of defeat and the sadness of the end will wear off.

    "I hope (Tuesday) when we get on that plane, there are some smiles on the faces," Beilein said. "The sun is going to come up tomorrow."

    ***

    PHOTOS: FAB FIVE AT THE NATIONAL TITLE GAME

    From left, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson and Jalen Rose take in the first half of the national championship game in Atlanta.
    From left, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson and Jalen Rose take in the first half of the national championship game in Atlanta.  Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports
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    Juwan Howard, left, and Jalen Rose mingle with the crowd prior to the national championship game.
    Juwan Howard, left, and Jalen Rose mingle with the crowd prior to the national championship game.  Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports
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    From left, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson and Jalen Rose are right in the thick of the Michigan fan section during the first half of the national championship game.
    From left, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson and Jalen Rose are right in the thick of the Michigan fan section during the first half of the national championship game.  Richard Mackson, USA TODAY Sports
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    Juwan Howard, center, and Jalen Rose mingle with Michigan fans prior to the national championship game.
    Juwan Howard, center, and Jalen Rose mingle with Michigan fans prior to the national championship game.  Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports
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    In a photo posted on his Twitter account, Chris Webber takes in the national championship game
    In a photo posted on his Twitter account, Chris Webber takes in the national championship game  @realchriswebber
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