Wayman Britt was a power forward trapped in a 6-foot-2 body, almost a freak on the basketball court at Northern High and the University of Michigan.
As a high school junior in the 1971 state Class A finals Britt grabbed a game-high 29 rebounds in the Vikings’ stunning upset of Detroit Kettering. The official box score gave him only 15 but coach Bill Frieder, whose official statistician was sitting close by, maintained Britt, indeed had 29 rebounds.
“Yes, I did get 29 rebounds,” Britt said. “A lot of it had to do with the way I was positioned underneath the basket. My brother (6-6 James Brit) was supposed to stand in front of their center I would be behind. I got a lot basketballs off the rims that night.” The following year Britt and his teammates completed an undefeated season (25-0) in capturing another state title. Frieder’s second Vikings’ unit was one of the most balanced in Flint and state basketball history. It was Britt, the captain, who set the tone for that team’s ferocious work ethic, defined by defense and crashing the backboards.
“What a team we had with Terry Furlow, Dennis Johnson, Joel Ragland, Ricardo Jones and Raymond Bridges coming off the bench,” said Britt. “We liked to run and our defense you couldn’t penetrate.”
A Class A all-stater in 1972, Britt had offers from several colleges but yearned to play at Michigan. He didn’t think, for a moment, though he’d wind up being forward in the physical Big Ten Conference. Perhaps it was a stroke of good fortune for Michigan and Britt, that forward would again be his spot on the court. “I’d been ill my sophomore year as we were beginning to practice,” Britt said. “Coach (Johnny) Orr had penciled me at guard but Steve Grote was looking very good in practice so the coach asked me to try it at forward.”
Britt was there for the next three seasons and UM flourished. With three straight winning seasons, the Wolverines reached the ultimate in the spring of 1976 by advancing to the Final Four of the NCAA the tournament in Philadelphia.
Britt played a crucial role in Michigan’s semifinal victory over previously undefeated Rutgers. Often assigned to defend the opposing team’s top scorer, Britt was expected to have his hands full guarding Rutgers All American Phil Sellers, a 6-5 player averaging nearly 30 points a game. Britt hounded Sellers all afternoon, holding Sellers to 12 points as Michigan rolled into the championship game with an 86-70 victory.
The Wolverines met undefeated Big Ten rival Indiana in the title game and lost after leading at halftime. Britt always liked the challenge of defending taller opponents. He relished the opportunity to leap over defenders and grab rebounds. A native of North Carolina, Britt found enough competition in a family of three older brothers They were taller, too.
“I think in the long run, that helped me in rebounding,” Britt said. “Plus I had quickness and good agility and I was pretty strong. All those factors helped me on the basketball court.” He is overjoyed to have the Michigan Defensive Play of the Year Award named in his honor. He was the first recipient of that award after his senior season in Ann Arbor.
Being 6-2 forward turned out to be a curse when it came to professional basketball however. Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1976, Britt lasted through the exhibition season. Two years later, he had a brief stint with the Detroit Pistons and then his basketball career was over.
“I knew there was no way I’d play forward in the pros and guard was something I had to learn all over again,” he said. He has lived in the Grand Rapids area since 1978 and for 24 years was a manager for Steelcase, one of the largest manufacturers of office furniture in the United States. Recently, he became an assistant administrator for Kent County.
Britt and his wife Dinah, have seven children.”It’s quite an honor to be inducted into the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame,” he said. “There were so many good memories for me at Northern High.” “Coach Frieder worked us very hard so we could win championships. I tried to carry that attitude throughout my basketball career.”
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