Michigan Basketball Starting Five Since 2000
Since the turn of the century, Michigan basketball has been up and down. In that, they have accumulated 490 wins while making 11 NCAA Tournaments and two Final Four appearances. They have also finished below 20 wins 11 times, with seven seasons below five hundred. Since 2000, the highs have been high for Michigan, but there have been some lows as well.
With that, they have also had 20 players taken in the NBA Draft. There has been no shortage of talent on campus in Ann Arbor. With that, here is my starting five for Michigan basketball since the 2000 season.
Starting Five
G Trey Burke (‘11-’13)
Trey Burke spent two seasons in Ann Arbor. In his first season, he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and in year two, he was the AP National Player of the Year. In 2013, Burke’s sophomore and final season, the Wolverines made a run to the National Championship game. Burke averaged 15.5 points throughout the NCAA Tournament being named to the All-NCAA Tournament team.
G Tim Hardaway Jr (‘10-’13)
Tim Hardaway Jr. the son of former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, was named first-team All-Big Ten during his junior and final season at Michigan. Hardaway’s 14.5 points per game helped lead Michigan to the National Championship game. He was also named first-team Big Ten-All Freshman and finished top 15 in conference scoring each of his three seasons at Michigan. Hardaway was the 24th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.
G Nik Stauskas (‘12-’14)
Nik Stauskas was a freshman who started 33 games for the 2013 team that made a run to the National Championship game. It was his sophomore year, in 2014, that really jumped off the page. Stauskas finished third in points per game while leading the Big Ten, shooting 44.2 percent from three. That season, Stauskas was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and a Consensus first-team All-American. He was drafted No. 8 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
F Franz Wagner (‘19-’21)
Franz Wagner’s first season in Ann Arbor led to Big Ten All-Freshman honors, while in his second season, he was named second-team All-Big Ten. In his sophomore and final season at Michigan, Wagner finished top-20 in the Big Ten in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks while making a run to the Sweet 16. Wagner, the brother of former Wolverine Mo Wagner, was drafted No.8 in the 2021 NBA Draft.
C Hunter Dickinson (‘20-’23)
Because he transferred away from Michigan, I went back and forth on whether to add Hunter Dickinson to this list. At the end of the day, Dickinson simply did too much in the maize and blue to not be included. In his three seasons at Michigan, he has three times been named second-team All-Big Ten. He was the Big Ten Rookie of the Year and a second-team Consensus All-American. Last season, Dickinson finished top five in the conference in points, rebounds, and blocks.
Sixth Man
G Zavier Simpson (‘16-’20)
Zavier Simpson had a strong finish to his career, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in his junior and senior seasons. In his four years at Michigan, Simpson started 96 games and walked away with 108 wins. He also had first-team Big Ten All-Defense honors. As a junior, he finished second in the Big Ten in total steals, and as a senior, he led the Big Ten in assists per game.
The Bench
G Daniel Horton (‘02-’06), G Derrick Walton (‘13-’17), G Bernard Robinson (‘00-’04), G Jamal Crawford (‘99-’00), G Manny Harris (‘07-’10), C Mo Wagner (‘15-’17), C John Teske (‘16-’20), F LaVell Blanchard (‘99-’03), F DeShawn Sims (‘06-’10), F Ignas Brazdeikis (‘18-’19), F Glenn Robinson III (‘12-’14), Zak Irvin (‘13-’14), F Duncan Robinson (‘’15-’18), F Isaiah Livers (‘17-’21), G Jordan Poole (‘17-’19)