"A missed opportunity"

I remember the day like it was yesterday.

April 5, 1993.

I remember the drive home from Crisler Arena, where I had watched the game with my father and 13,000-plus other basketball fans. The night's tranquility was pierced by the blaring of sirens - undoubtedly policemen responding to poor behavior on the part of depressed Michigan fans.

The Michigan men's basketball team had just lost its second consecutive national championship game to North Carolina. Chris Webber's infamous timeout call when the Wolverines lacked one had doomed Michigan in the final seconds. I remember thinking that life probably couldn't get much worse.

Obviously, at the age of 9, I lacked perspective. The Michigan basketball program would be absolutely delirious to finish No. 2 in the country now. Heck, No. 64 would even work. The program hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 1998.

Thinking back on that night, I can't help but assume that the sirens were a harbinger of things to come.

The program made a few NCAA tournament appearances in the years following The Timeout, only to bow out in the early rounds. Then the Big Dance became the Small Dance, as Michigan fell into obscurity and a yearly tradition of participating in the NIT tournament. Along with that came the Ed Martin scandal, as it was revealed that the U-M booster had indeed paid Webber, Maurice Taylor, Robert Traylor and Louis Bullock to attend Michigan.

Then came the sanctions.

The taking down of the banners. The erasing of statistics. And, most importantly, probation and banishment from the Big Dance for a year.

The program still hasn't recovered. Who knows if it ever will?

Which, I know, is why many Michigan fans are angry that Webber is back in Michigan, playing for the hometown Pistons. While Webber should only be partially blamed for the ditch the U-M men's basketball program fell into and is still trying to climb out of, he had the chance on Tuesday to address the issue possibly once and for all.

Instead, he said it would be a "waste of my time" to talk about what happened.

Webber shouldn't necessarily feel remorse for taking Martin's money. After all, while at Michigan thousands of fans purchased his No. 4 jersey while he often couldn't afford meals. It's needless to say that large universities rip off their high-profile athletes by reaping the benefits created by the athletes and not paying them zilch.

But doesn't Webber feel at all bad about all the players who have suffered through mediocre year after mediocre year while the program attempts to recover from the bomb that hit it?

Take LaVell Blanchard, for example. The local kid. Blanchard led Pioneer High School to a Class A state title. He was being suited by both Michigan State and Michigan. He chose his hometown team despite MSU clearly being the state's superior team at the time.

Blanchard fought through a 15-14 freshman season then two losing seasons. Then, finally, during his senior season he led the team to a 17-13 record and the Wolverines tied for third in the Big Ten. They had NCAA tournament aspirations.

Except they didn't. Because that was the year in which they were banned from the Big Dance. Sorry, LaVell, shoulda gone to State.

I thought Webber might throw out an apology at the press conference. Just something along the lines of: "I made some mistakes when I was younger and I apologize to those whom my miscues affected negatively."

But, instead, nothing.

He comes off as egotistical and selfish.

Yes, of course almost everyone in Michigan would rather watch Webber help lead the Pistons to the NBA title this season and just forget about the whole thing. It's been nearly 14 years since that night.

But it's not that simple. Not when Webber refuses to say anything about what happened. Not when he won't display any remorse.

Webber has had several chances to compost this rotten egg. He's missed the bin every time.