Trey Burke is being honored at Crisler Center on Friday night, as his No. 3 is being honored by being raised to the rafters, joining just five others in Michigan men’s basketball history. The phenom point
guard had arguably the greatest season in Michigan history during the 2012-13 season when he led the Wolverines to the National Championship against Louisville (the block was clean).
This bodes the question: is Trey Burke the greatest Michigan basketball player of all time?
Let’s first assess some of the records Burke holds before we dive into his competition.
Following the 2012-13 season, Burke was named the National Player of the Year by the AP, NABC and USBWA. He also won the Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy, the Bob Cousy Award, and the Oscar Robertson Trophy. It’s safe to say his trophy case at home is loaded.
Burke started all 39 games for the Wolverines that year and averaged 18.6 points, 6.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. On top of that, he was not tasked with being the only playmaker on that team, as he was surrounded by other great players like Tim Hardaway Jr., Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary, just to name a few.
In Michigan history, Burke’s 727 points in the 2012-13 season ranks fifth all-time. His 260 assists smashed the record for most assists by a Wolverine in a season. He also had 62 steals, good for seventh in Michigan history in a season. He did all this as a sophomore, leading Michigan history in points, assists and field goal attempts.
Burke is one of only 15 Wolverines to have a 500+ point and 100+ assist season. He’s also one of only seven Michigan basketball players to have a 500+ point and 50+ steal season (and still the most recent).
Despite only playing in Ann Arbor for two years, he ranks highly in career statistics. On his career, Burke ranks ninth in assists, second in assists per game and first in minutes per game.
There’s no doubt Burke was one of the greatest Wolverines of all time, but was he the best? Let’s dive into his competition.
Burke is one of just two Wolverines to be named Consensus National Player of the Year, with the other being Cazzie Russell in 1966. Russell’s 800 points in 1965-66 places him second in the Michigan record books for points in a season, while also putting him at first in points per game at a whopping 30.77. On the glass, Russell had 200 or more rebounds in three separate seasons, one of just 12 Wolverines to ever do so.
On his career, Russell ranks fifth in program history in total points and first in points per game. Interestingly, he’s shot the second-most free throws of anyone in a Michigan uniform while being a career 82.8 percent free throw shooter (fourth all-time).
Glen Rice also deserves to be considered for this award in our Friday Discussion. Rice continues to lead the program record books in scoring with 949 points in 1988-89. He also sits at fourth in single-season scoring for his 728 points in 1987-88. Rice and Rumeal Robinson continue to be the leading scoring duo in program history with 1,524 points in 1988-89.
Rice is also the career leader in scoring at Michigan with 2,442 points. He also sits at sixth overall in career rebounds, but most importantly, he led Michigan to a national title, and he’s the only Wolverine to win the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Other names to consider include Chris Webber, Rudy Tomjanovich and Gary Grant. There’s no doubt a rich history exists within the Michigan men’s basketball program. Is Trey Burke the best to ever suit up as a Wolverine?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
