Indy Rutks wrote:
 
> Can any Mich. fans add some insights on Mel Pearson, Jr.?
 
I'll take a stab at it, though my status as a Michigan fan could be questioned
these days.  I'm still very excited about the possibility that Don Lucia might
come here, and if he wants the job, Minnestoa should hire him.  However, if he
turns it down, I think that Mel Pearson would be a fine choice, and by no means
should be considered merely a consolation prize.  He is as responsible for
Michigan's recruiting success as anyone, which is a plus.  I've certainly heard
positive things about him as an assistant coach.  By all reports he's a decent
guy.  And he's apprenticed under the man that I think is the smartest and maybe
even the best hockey coach around.  There's always a risk of picking someone who
has never been a head coach; the world is littered with great assistants that
were unsuccessful head coaches.  (I call it Ambrose Burnside Syndrome, after the
Civil war general that exemplified it.)  But I think Pearson is as good a risk
as you can take.
 
What I find most interesting about this rumor is what it says about the
situation at Michigan.  Pearson is certainly considered the heir apparent by
most of the people if talked to, and the assumption has been that Berenson
wouldn't want to be on the bench much longer, but that assumption may need to be
reexamined if Pearson is showing interest in an outside job.
 
Interesting.  Very, very interesting.
 
J. Michael Neal
 
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