The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, November 7, 2006 - 9
Checkmate: Wolverines
bond through chess
By KEVIN WRIGHT
Daily Sports Editor
Ever wonder the real reason
running back Mike Hart decided to
come to Michigan?
Ask Leon Hall, and he'll point
to a game they played when Hart
visited Ann Arbor on his recruit-
ing trip.
Chess.
"(When Leon pulled out the
board) I thought he was real smart,
but then I learned he didn't really
know how to play," Hart joked at
Michigan Media Day. "He thought
it was checkers."
Hart emphasized the fact that
he beat Hall. But the cornerback
spins a different tale from their
first match.
"He beat me once, but I won the
series," Hall said. "We played three
games. I know I won the series. He
beat me. He's not lying to you, he
beat me, but if he was 1-4, what was
that? He won a game, but he lost
the other four."
Michigan's defense backs may
be known for their intensity on
the field, but it's their competition
behind the chess board that has
them stroking their egos.
When Hall found out that sev-
eral of his teammates write him
off asa subpar chess player, he ada-
mantly pointed to his team-best
winning percentage as the reason
he considers himself the cream of
the crop.
"Who would be the best?" Hall
said. "I would say me."
While Hall uses the stats to back
up his claim, safety Jamar Adams
has both the support of teammates
Morgan Trent and Hart, and his
history in the game.
In middle school, Adams fell
in love with the game that many
find to be mentally enthralling.
He bought books to hone his skills
and even won a state and national
championship.
Now, he's toned downhis playing
frequency and restricted himself
mostly to leisurely competitions
with his roommate, wide receiver
Alijah Bradley. But if one of his
teammates boldly challenges him
at his game, he doesn't back down.
"It's a mental game when I play,"
Adams said. "I do it a little bit with
my roommate now. A lot of the guys
on the team tryto challenge me. It's
just a fun game."
But ask him about the rivalry
with the 5-foot-il cornerback who
claims to hold the highest win-
ning percentage, and Adams isn't
as nice.
"No, he's not that good, soit's not
really a rivalry," Adams joked. "In
a rivalry, someone has to beat you a
few times to make it a rivalry."
Adams does admit to losing
occasionally, but not without an
excuse readily available.
One such defeat that sticks
out in his mind stems back to last
year's Super Bowl, when he took on
Trent.
"I think my attention was drawn
away by the game," Adams said. "I
came back and beat him in the next
game. He showed me some things.
He's a decent player."
Since the humbling defeat, Trent
has hounded Adams to mention the
upset victory whenever the press
asks the safety about his prowess
in chess.
For Hall, who admitted to join-
ing a chess team for a short time in
his youth, chess is more than just a
hobby. It's the nature of the players
and the game that make it so enjoy-
able and dangerously competitive
to the senior.
"You got us talking back and
forth, 'I'm better than you, this
and that,' " Hall said. "As aggres-
sive and wild as we are on the field,
with chess you have to calm down
and sit there and think a lot more,
think about the strategy and stuff
like that."
Hall may boast the best winning
percentage on the team, but when
asked if his exceptional record
results from playing weaker com-
petition, he quickly defended his
position with a comparison to the
other game he plays - football.
"Just because you're not good
doesn't mean that I'm not going
to play you," Hall said. "I'm going
to win. You just got to play. Just
because the team may not be rated
as high as you are doesn't mean
you're not going to play them the
next week."
To the casual observer, chess may Michigan basketball coach'
seem like a chance to kick back and Marcus Pruitt, was shot and
take your mind off your other wor-
ries. But the recent attacks on Hall's
ability have forced the Vista, Calif,
native to take immediate action. G o ad
Even though the secondary,
walk-on wide receivers and Hart
have taken a hiatus from the game
and play mostly Madden video W
games, Hall thinks it's due time the
chess board replaced PlayStation 2
controllers. By MARK GIANN
"I'm going to have to challenge Daily Sports Wrs
them today because we have a free
day today," Hall said. "I'm just For any athlete andcc
going to have to bring it back out." oping a strong relations
Tomy Amaker and his wife comforted freshman DeShawn Sims during a time of need. Sims's brother,
[killed last Friday night. Despite the tragedy, Sims still suited up for the team's final exhibition game.
i helps freshman
vith fami'ly tragedy
OTTO
iter
oach, devel-
ship on and
Icers' Berenson recognized for
his work over illustrious career
By AMBER COLVIN
Daily Sports Writer
DETROIT - On this day 38 years
ago, a St. Louis Blues player scored a
jaw-dropping six goals in one game -
including four in a nine-minute span.
Yesterday, that man took the stage
at Joe Louis Arena among four other
greats to receive an award from the
NHL.
But he wasn't there because of the
offensive fireworks from his heyday in
the NHL.
Former Michigan hockey player and
current New York Rangers forward
Jed Ortmeyer summed it up like this:
"He turned us into young men."
Ortmeyer was speaking of his for-
mer coach and hockey legend Red
Berenson. Currently in the middle of
his 23rd season at the helm of Michi-
gan hockey, Berenson was awarded
the Lester Patrick Award for his out-
standing service to hockey in the Unit-
ed States.
The Regina, Saskatchewan native
has made strides in the world of college
hockey and the development of players.
"He's turned out very success-
ful hockey players and prepared us
to be able to step in and play in the
NHL right away," Ortmeyer said.
"He makes a difference in our lives. I
think he gets alot of thrill with that,
and it's the reason why the program
is as successful as it is."
Berenson setcan example by earn-
ing his Bachelor's and Master's
degrees from Michigan while serv-
ing as the Wolverines' captain and
playing in the NHL. At the time, he
was one of just a few professional
players in the game who had taken
the college route.
To this day, he still stresses the
importance of a complete education
off the court is imperative.
And after
this week- NOTEBOOK
end, freshman
forward DeShawn Sims needs his
coaches more than ever.
This past Friday night, Sims'
younger brother, high school
junior Marcus Pruitt, was shot and
killed while in his neighborhood in
Detroit.
"Details are kind of sketchy,"
Pershing head coach A.W. Canada
told the Associated Press. "All
we know is that he was walking
through the neighborhood. ... This
was senseless."
Despite the tragic news about
his brother, Sims still suited up and
played in the Wolverines' 85-50
win over Michigan Tech on Sunday
afternoon. He scored four points
and grabbed two rebounds.
"It was a tough decision (to
play)," said Sims followingSunday's
game. "The coaches asked me right
before tip-off, and I told them I was
going to try and give it a go. I tried
to play hard and give the team all
my effort."
Luckily for Sims, his team pro-
vided great support. Sims spent
much of Saturday with Michigan
coach Tommy Amaker and Amak-
er's wife, who tried to comfort the
freshman in his time of need.
Since Michigan doesn't open its
regular season until Friday night,
Sims plans to go home to Detroit
and be with his grieving family.
Ultimately, basketball might be
the best remedy for Sims in this
unfortunate situation.
"Once I get off the court, that's
when everything starts to hit me,"
Sims said. "But when I'm playing
it doesn't really bother me. I try to
take my emotions away."
SAME OLD COURTNEY?: For
two years now, the biggest knock
on senior Courtney Sims has been
his inconsistency. But throughout
the preseason, Sims said that this
year, fans would see a more asser-
tive, and, therefore, steady basket-
ball player.
Well, it's been just two exhibi-
tion games, but so far it looks like
nothing has changed.
The 6-foot-11 Sims opened up the
exhibition season against Wayne
State on Thursday night with
just five points and two rebounds
against a Warrior squad whose tall-
est player is 6 foot 5.
But against Michigan Tech on
Sunday afternoon, a completely dif-
ferent Sims showed up, converting
numerous easy layups and dunks
en route to a 21-point, six-rebound
performance.
Against Wayne State, Sims was
forced to play against guard-sized
players. Sunday presented a more
traditional matchup for the Boston
native.
"We make it a point of effort to
get him the ball," Amaker said.
"There were some big bodies on
their team, whereas Wayne State
didn't have a lot of big players, so
Courtney was out chasing a 6-4
or 6-5 kid. Now he's playing in the
post like he normally would. So I
knew it would be a little better for
him (against Michigan Tech), and
it was nice to see him produce."
No MORE ED MARTIN: Yester-
day marked the end of Michigan
basketball's four-year probation
period that was imposed following
the Ed Martin booster scandal.
Two years of the probation were
self-imposed by the Michigan ath-
letic department, and two years
were added by the NCAA's infrac-
tions committee in 2003. Other
penalties from the scandal includ-
ed the removal of the 1992 and 1993
Final Four banner and the 1997
NIT banner, loss of scholarships
and a postseason ban for the 2002-
03 season.
"The end of (the NCAA-imposed
probation) completely removes
those stigmas that we've been deal-
ing with," Amaker said. "We're
clean, we have been clean and we're
going to continue to be (clean)."
McgnokcaheBrnnahrwit--. .--tt HnLtrcuAad
Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson was honored with the Lester Patrick Award.
- making it possible to have "life
after hockey."
But the always-reserved Berenson
did little to toot his own horn at the
ceremony yesterday, quickly shrug-
ging off the developments he's made
in college hockey.
"People like me are not in the
game for awards, really," Berenson
said. "We're happy to be in the game,
we're honored. We care about the
game. We care about the people in
the game. It's not about the awards.
But you like to be appreciated - at
least they know you're here. And
I feel I'm a small player in the col-
lege hockey scene, and it's good to
be honored."
Joining Berenson as 2006 recipi-
ents were famous Detroit Red
Wings Steve Yzerman and Reed
Larson, Hockey Hall of Famer Mar-
cel Dionne and former NHL and
college coach Glen Sonmor.
While Yzerman had the media
swarming him all afternoon, the
retired Red Wing captain and new
vice president deflected attention
to his fellow recipients.
"These are guys that I look up
to," Yzerman said. "I've gotten to
know Red over the course of my
time here in Detroit.... He is a great
mentor for the young kids in hock-
ey. He's just been tremendous. He's
set a really high standard for kids
all over North America that want
to play college hockey."
For Berenson, the ceremony was
just like a gathering of old friends.
He played with Dionne on the Red
Wings and coached against Lar-
son and Sonmor. As for this year's
youngest recipient, Berenson had
a special reason to join him at the
ceremony.
"I came here to get Steve Yzer-
man's autograph," Berenson joked.
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