Nathan, you're absolutely right about MSU having an abundance of programs better than Michigan, but that's actually consistent with the point I probably stated poorly.  Berenson prefers the kid who knows where he's going academically by the time he's considering college.  If he's a good hockey player and serious student and wants the academic offering at Michigan, home run.  If he's a great hockey player and serious student and the education he wants is at Michigan State, hey, you loose some.  What he doesn't like is the kid who's still floating in a fog about academics when he's at the point of considering colleges or just trying to play one school off against the other as if college is only about hockey.

He doesn't want the 18 to 20 year old who's only impressed with the weightroom and arena.  In fact, he'd like the academically serious 16 to 17 year old who accelerated classes to start a year early (Cammalleri, Montoya).  Cammalleri never saw a Great Lakes Invitational because he was still playing in the World Juniors tournament in his junior year.  It's not Red's attitude toward State, but that's the rivalry the reporter likes to focus on.  I'm surprised he made any such comment considering the reaction it can generate.

Actually, he hasn't done as well at keeping everyone the past few years, although Van Ryn wanting to be a test case for NHL draft rules and Comrie leaving before his negotiating power with Edmonton eroded were both understandable.   But even Jeff Jillson, who left after his junior year, graduated on time with his class while playing for San Jose.  Cammalleri blindsided Berenson with the tactics he used to jump to the pros and their relationship suffered.  Red will tell a player if he should jump early, but he wants an honest relationship and an honest academic effort.   He once sat Turco for a game against the Spartans for cutting class.

Bob Griebel


"Hampton, Nathan E." wrote:

> One of the greatest aspects about the Michigan hockey program is that Berenson has a way to keep his players around until his senior year. However Bob Griebel's statement that "Whether he's right or wrong in suggesting that's a different profile than the Spartan recruit, I think that's his motivation." makes me wonder why a coach would expect a freshman recruit to know what major he wants. Michigan State has programs far superior to Michigan's (any agricultural major, most engineering, Economics, any environmental studies or policy major, etc.) just as Michigan has some better than State (law and medicine, though those are graduate programs). Yet when Sports Illustrated did its issue on cheating in athletics, it was the University of Michigan that was the flagship institution. Besides, which 18 to 20 year old isn't going to be more impressed with the weightroom and arena than with the academics. Maybe that was what Berenson was referring to --- maybe he thinks Yost is a better arena
> than Munn and so the choice should be obvious.
>
> Nathan Hampton