Sit down, kids, and let's take a trip back down MEMORY LANE. Back in 1991, five freshmen who were really fabulous at basketball committed to the University of Michigan. Fittingly, they were known as the FAB FIVE. The group included Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson, and Chris Webber.
The Fab Five made it all the way to the national championship in their freshman season, but they lost to Duke. The next year, they managed to make it back, this time to face North Carolina. It was time for VENGEANCE. (They had to settle for a different team from the same state, but close enough.)
With 19 seconds to go, Michigan trails by two points, 73-71, with ZERO timeouts left. No timeouts. Webber rebounds a Pat Sullivan free throw.
And then, weirdly, both Michigan's ball-handlers take off up-court, leaving Webber stranded. Not wanting to take the ball up, he tries to call a timeout, but fortunately the ref doesn't see him — that would be a technical, since Michigan's out of TOs.
Then he travels! And the ref doesn't see it! Again! At this moment in time, Webber seems like the luckiest dude in the world. That won't last, because...
Webber isn't real good at taking the ball up-court. Not exactly in his skillset. He dribbles straight into the corner. Then calls a timeout. HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY TIMEOUTS.
Just watch Juwan Howard put his hands on his head in disbelief. He knew it was basically over at that point, and it was: UNC would hit its next four free throws to seal it.
Fault for the phantom timeout resides in multiple people: Michigan's guards should've helped Webber, and he claims to have thought his bench was yelling at him "Timeout!" when they were in fact yelling "No timeout!" But regardless, he was the one who called it.
Fortunately, Webber went on to a distinguished NBA career and an analyst job that he's very good at and allows him to pose next to cutouts of Charles Barkley's head.
But there will always be that one "unshining" moment.
