Webber Jumping to NBA : Basketball: Michigan star leaves after two years and two trips to NCAA championship game.

Michigan’s Fab Five was reduced by one Wednesday as All-American forward Chris Webber said he will forgo his remaining two years of eligibility in order to join the NBA.

His announcement came exactly one month after his infamous and illegal timeout call in the waning seconds of the NCAA championship game guaranteed North Carolina a victory. It was Webber’s second consecutive national title appearance and, as it turns out, also his last.

“Not winning a college championship makes leaving hard to do, but that’s not going to make or break me,” said Webber, who announced his decision during an afternoon news conference in Ann Arbor. Among those in attendance were Webber’s family and Michigan Coach Steve Fisher.

Webber’s departure wasn’t entirely a surprise. From the moment Fisher recruited the Fab Five--Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Juwan Howard and Ray Jackson--two questions were repeatedly heard: How many national championships will they win? How long will they be together?

Earlier last month at the John R. Wooden Award luncheon in Los Angeles, Webber said he was unsure about his return to Michigan.

“My vision is real blurry after a disappointment like (the loss to North Carolina),” he said.

Not anymore, it isn’t. Webber can see just fine now. In fact, if the draft were held today, his view would include his name among the top four selections.

“It’s a decision I felt was necessary for me to keep moving and move on,” Webber said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m ready for the next level.”

Added Fisher: “Luck will not be part of it. He’s destined to be every bit as successful on the professional level as he’s been in high school and on the college level. That success will follow him. That’s part of who he is.”

Webber, who led Michigan in nearly every important statistical category, is the fifth prominent non-senior to declare himself eligible for the June 30 draft. His entry adds considerable intrigue to a draft pool that also includes Brigham Young center Shawn Bradley, Kentucky small forward Jamal Mashburn, Memphis State guard Anfernee Hardaway and Wake Forest forward Rodney Rogers.

But until his pro career begins, Webber will be best known for a stay at Michigan that included 56 victories in 71 games and two Final Four trips, but no NCAA or Big Ten title.

And then there is the matter of The Timeout. It is a legacy Webber said he could do without, if only someone would let him.

“That was just one play,” Webber said. “If I can play a good game and just mess up 30 seconds, I can live with that. Nobody died from it, it didn’t cost anybody their jobs. It hurt, but I’m going to have to keep living.”

Despite failing to win a national championship during his two years at Michigan, Webber said he leaves with few regrets.

“I learned how to be patient,” he said. “I learned how to take criticism. I learned how not to make excuses. That’s it, but it’s a lot.”

And then he made a prediction.

“There will never be another Fab Five,” Webber said. “You can put that name in a safe because that’s the last time you’re going to see it. You’re never going to see five guys come in like that as freshmen again.”

Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is certain: The Wolverines became a little less fabulous Wednesday.