Former Fab Five player Jimmy King says he can relate to Manny Harris' suspension

Posted on Sun, Jan 24, 2010 : 6:43 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM - Former Michigan basketball Fab Fiver Jimmy King insists he doesn’t know what Manny Harris did to warrant his weekend suspension, but King’s pretty sure he can relate. “All players go through it,” King said Sunday before taking part in Curtis Granderson’s Celebrity Shoot-Out. “All of them.” Harris was suspended before Saturday’s loss to Purdue after committing an unsportsmanlike act in practice Friday.

Michigan coach John Beilein declined to detail what led to the suspension after the game, and Harris’ status for Tuesday’s showdown with rival Michigan State is uncertain. “We will meet with Manny and the team again when we return to determine if he has learned enough from this suspension to rejoin the team for Tuesday’s game,” Beilein said in statement released Saturday. “I am confident that this learning experience will be valuable in the future to both Manny and our basketball program.” King, who works part-time as a radio and TV analyst and playd for Michigan from 1991-95, said he’s had his own practice incidents as a player. “In those situations, player to coach, you got to understand that the coach is the man and ultimately you’re the player so you can’t go against the coach regardless if you feel you’re right,” he said. As for Michigan’s disappointing season, King said he has faith it’s just a blip in what’s otherwise a resurgent program. “I think all we need is to develop our freshmen, get a few more pieces to the puzzle, which I know Beilein is doing a great job of,” King said. “I’m very confident about what they’re doing up there. I feel good about it, so I look for bigger and greater things in the next two, three years.”

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

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