The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, April 12, 2017— 7A
Wolverines search for next hockey coach
At the end of the past few
seasons, Red Berenson’s status as
the coach of the Michigan hockey
team was in question. It was
thought that he would retire after
the 2015-16 season, but athletic
director Warde Manuel convinced
him to stay for another year.
Monday, Berenson finally put
an end to all the questions, as he
officially stepped down from his
position with the team.
Now, for the first time in 33
seasons, the Wolverines are in
search of a new coach.
With Berenson’s status as coach
being uncertain over the past few
years, there has been plenty of
time to speculate on who would
take his position when he did
retire. The Daily breaks down
some of the possible candidates for
his replacement at Michigan.
Mel Pearson:
Pearson is currently the head
coach at Michigan Tech, where
he has led the Huskies to NCAA
Tournament
appearances
in
two of the last three seasons as
well as a Western Conference
Hockey Association Tournament
championship last season.
Pearson was an assistant under
Berenson with the Wolverines
from 1988-2011, and was long
believed to be the coach-in-waiting
for when Berenson retired. But
after joining — and finding success
with — Michigan Tech, it’s unclear
if Pearson would be willing to
come back to Ann Arbor.
Pearson may be the most
qualified candidate for Michigan.
One of the areas that has plagued
the Wolverines in recent seasons
is
their
ineptitude
in
Corsi
percentage — just last season
they were the third-worst team
nationally in the category, which
measures all shot attempts taken at
even strength. On the other hand,
Pearson’s Huskies have ranked in
the top-five in Corsi percentage in
each of the last three seasons.
All in all, if Pearson would be
willing to return to Michigan, it
seems as though the two would
make a good fit.
Brian Wiseman:
Wiseman
played
for
the
Wolverines from 1991-94 and
accrued 164 assists in his career,
the most in program history. He
has served as an assistant coach
under Berenson since 2011. As a
result, he is intimately familiar
with the current team, so the
transition from Berenson to him
would presumably be smooth.
Additionally,
Wiseman
has
taken a lead role in recruiting
efforts over the last few seasons.
He has traveled around the
country, and in some cases, was
the main contact between recruits
and Michigan.
On the downside, Wiseman’s
tenure
coincides
with
the
Wolverines’ struggles in recent
years. This is not to say that
Wiseman is responsible, but if
Michigan wants to change its
program’s
momentum,
hiring
someone who is currently in the
program may be counterintuitive.
Billy Powers:
Powers’ situation is somewhat
similar to that of Wiseman. After
beginning his playing career at
Division II St. Anselm, Powers
transferred to Michigan as a part
of Berenson’s first recruiting class
in 1985. He played the next three
years with the Wolverines, and
after his college career was over,
he immediately transitioned into
being a graduate assistant with
Michigan.
Powers has been with the
Wolverines ever since, and after
Pearson left, he was promoted to
the associate head coach position
that he holds today.
Like
Wiseman,
Powers
is
extremely close to the program.
He was a part of the NCAA
Championships in 1996 and 1998,
and he’s also been a part of the
recent decline.
So, again, if Michigan is looking
to change directions with its
program, Powers doesn’t seem to fit
the bill. Unlike Wiseman, though,
Powers has more experience in a
coaching capacity, so hiring him
now may be a safer bet.
Bill Muckalt:
Muckalt is a bit more of an
outside candidate than the other
three because he hasn’t coached
under Berenson. He does have
substantial
and
successful
coaching experience, though.
Muckalt played his college
career at Michigan from 1994-
1998 and was a part of both NCAA
Championship teams. From there,
he experienced a short, six-year
professional career.
Muckalt moved on to become
an assistant coach at Eastern
Michigan
before
bouncing
around as an assistant on a few
junior hockey teams. He then
reconnected with Pearson, his
former associate head coach with
the Wolverines at Michigan Tech.
In 2015, Muckalt got his shot
as a head coach with the United
States Hockey League’s Tri-City
Storm, where he led the Storm to
its first ever USHL championship
in his first season at the helm.
Muckalt appears to be a good
option for Michigan in today’s
world of hockey, as he is only 42
and would be able to relate to
recruits more easily.
***
At Berenson’s retirement press
conference, he was asked what he
wanted from his successor.
“I hope there’s some Michigan
awareness
or
Michigan
connection for a coach that will
feel the right way about what a
Michigan man should be like and
what a Michigan team should be
like,” Berenson said.
Pearson,
Wiseman,
Powers
and Muckalt certainly fit that bill
with their coaching and playing
experience with the Wolverines.
And even if Michigan decides
to hire somebody other than those
four, one thing is for certain: after
33 years under Berenson, the next
head coach will have enormous
shoes to fill.
Hill learning intricacies of fullback position
Can a fullback be the face of a
modern college football team’s
offense?
That may be the question
surrounding
the
Michigan
football team this year.
The Wolverines lost the bulk
of last season’s playmakers to
graduation. They did, however,
receive some good news when
Khalid
Hill,
their
resident
touchdown vulture also known
as the ‘Hammering Panda,’
decided to return for one final
year.
Hill admitted it would be nice
to be considered the face of the
offense. Since Jim Harbaugh’s
arrival, the fullback has been
integral to Michigan’s scheme.
But Hill reserved that term
for Wilton Speight, the team’s
returning starting quarterback.
He
may
be
underselling
himself. Hill scored 13 times
last season, by far the most of
any returning skill position
player and more than a third
of the team’s total rushing and
receiving
touchdowns
from
returning players.
So that mantle — of being
the focal point of the offense —
may have to be shared between
Hill and Speight, regardless of
whether Hill denies it while
saying he’s “just” a fullback.
Because if you believe what
he has said about his offseason,
it certainly seems like the fifth-
year senior is gearing up for
what may be a larger role, even
after his breakout season last
year.
After all, he feels like he
could be even better at what
may
be
Harbaugh’s
most
beloved position.
“I feel more comfortable
with the fullback position,” Hill
said Tuesday night. “… Last year
was like, ‘Do the best you can.’
This year I’m kinda focusing on
those small things and getting
better at those.”
That attention to the small
things is a lesson he learned
from his first season as a starter,
after switching positions from
tight end to fullback.
It’s also a lesson he saw in
action while observing the
NFL coaches and scouts in
attendance at Michigan’s Pro
Day.
In past years, Hill only
watched the 40-yard dashes.
But this year, he stayed for the
rest of the drills, and quickly
noticed
the
NFL personnel
were
looking
for the details
from each drill
— how a player
flipped his hips,
or whether he
could
catch
a
ball
without
slowing down.
That
new
approach
has
found its way into his own game,
from the little things like losing
weight (still a work in progress,
he readily admitted) to having
a
better
understanding
of
opposing defenses.
“At tight end, you didn’t
really
have
to
understand
what defensive fronts there
are, safety rotations, reading
defensive linemen stunts, you
didn’t have to worry about that,”
Hill said. “Coach Harbaugh
does a great job of helping us
see all those things. It’s cool to
go through that and learn those
things because it’ll help me in
the future.”
Hill still enjoys running the
routes that he
used to as a tight
end and claims
he has the best
hands
on
the
team. He even
jokingly lobbied
passing
game
coordinator
Pep
Hamilton
to split him and
fellow
fullback
Henry Poggi out
wide.
He once wanted to be like
Delanie Walker, the standout
tight end whom Jim Harbaugh
once coached and compared Hill
to. And while he still watches
film of Walker, Hill now aspires
to be more like Kyle Juszczyk
of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens
— coached by John Harbaugh
— after spending much of the
offseason watching Juszczyk’s
tape and marveling at his pass-
blocking ability.
When
Hill
does
watch
his own film, it isn’t of his
numerous touchdowns. Rather,
he focuses on his mistakes,
such as a sack given up against
Colorado that resulted in a
defensive touchdown, a fumble
against Iowa and a missed
protection against Maryland.
Scoring, Hill said, is difficult.
But he knows how to do it.
Now, it’s about learning the
intricacies
of
the
fullback
position.
“Actually, two scouts asked
me why did I stay,” Hill said.
“I just told them I wanted to
graduate. … I kinda thought I
wasn’t at a mature enough stage
to understand (that) I have to
take this stuff more seriously.
“Last year was a blessing in
disguise. I wasn’t expecting to
have that many touchdowns
or do what I did. Now that
I’m doing that, I’ve got to
understand that I have to take it
more seriously.”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Fifth-year senior fullback Khalid Hill came back to Michigan to refine his craft in preparation for an NFL career.
ORION SANG
Daily Sports Editor
“This year I’m
kinda focusing
on those small
things”
McDoom boasts
strong potential
The question was simple.
Eddie McDoom was asked if
there was anything he can’t
do.
The answer came without
hesitation.
“No, I’m gonna do it all,”
he said, with a smile cracking
over his face.
Realistically, it’s not all that
surprising. McDoom has never
been short of confidence.
Last November, the then-
freshman wide receiver stood
in front of the media, and it
took just over two minutes for
him to declare that he was the
fastest player on the Michigan
football team’s roster. But
what really stood out was
the next assertion — that his
sophomore season would be
his breakout year.
Now, four months later,
that
sophomore
season
is
approaching,
and
the
Wolverines
need McDoom’s
prediction
to
come
to
fruition.
As
is
the
storyline
in
virtually every
phase of this
Michigan team,
the Wolverines
are dealing with a close-to-
bare cupboard that features
a collection of talented — but
young and inexperienced —
players.
In McDoom’s case, he’s
being looked to as one player
among a group of receivers
tasked
with
replacing
the
loss of Amara Darboh, Jehu
Chesson and Jake Butt. That
trio accounted for 138 of
Michigan’s 228 receptions, 13
of the Wolverines’ 20 receiving
touchdowns and 1,908 of the
team’s 2,756 receiving yards in
2016.
McDoom, in his own right,
enjoyed a successful season
during his freshman campaign,
albeit in a specialized role.
In
the
jet
sweep package,
McDoom
amassed
160
yards on just
16
attempts
—
good
for
exactly 10 yards
per carry.
If there was a
way to quantify
McDoom’s
speed,
that
may be it. And it’s that same
speed
that
warranted
the
proliferation of the booming
‘Doom’ chant across Michigan
Stadium
last
season
—
something he still cracks a
smile at when remembering
how he thought he was being
booed the first time he heard
it.
Now, though, the jet sweep
package may not be enough for
the Wolverines, and McDoom
will need to be characterized
for more than raw speed. Last
year, McDoom notched just
five catches on the receiving
end. As the upcoming season
grows closer, the sophomore
wide receiver is out to change
that.
“I feel like I can do way
more than just be handed jet
sweeps,” McDoom said. “I can
go downfield, I can make the
routes, I can make the catches,
I can make the big plays that
they’re asking for, and I’m
trying to show it.”
Already, McDoom is taking
the steps toward doing so. He
indicated that he’s been taking
reps receiving punts while also
working in the slot and on the
outside. But arguably the most
important thing for McDoom,
especially in a Jim Harbaugh-
orchestrated offense, is the
ability to block. In that regard,
as in nearly every regard,
McDoom has no doubt he can
do it.
“Oh, I can block,” McDoom
said. “It’s not an issue. If I
need to go out there and hit
somebody, I’m gonna go out
there and hit
somebody.”
And if there’s
anything
that
could serve as
validation
of
the
progress
McDoom
has
made, it would
be praise from
senior receiver
Maurice
Ways
—
one
of a limited group of veteran
receivers expected to see an
increased role this season.
Ways even went as far as to
say he finds himself learning
things from McDoom, such as
how to get a good release off
the line.
“He’s doing really well,”
Ways said. “He’s playing fast,
making plays and having fun
doing it. He’s probably one of
the most vibrant guys in the
locker room.
“He just comes to work
every day with a smile on his
face, loving football, and he’ll
be out in practice having a
good time. I appreciate his
enthusiasm he brings to the
game, brings to practice, and it
kind of rubs off
on the rest of
us.”
For
McDoom, that
enthusiasm
is
just one aspect
of a personality
more confident
than
a
king
at
his
own
coronation.
And
as
is
quickly becoming the norm for
him, Tuesday was a day void
of hesitation. He said he can
block. He said he can run the
routes, make the catches and
flash the big-play ability. He
said he can do it all.
So
the
time
is
coming
for everyone to find out, is
this really Eddie McDoom’s
breakout year?
“Hey, I think so,” Ways said.
“Eddie has all the tools to be a
great receiver. Like I said, the
sky is the limit for him. He can
be as good as he wants to be, as
great as he wants to be. I’ve got
all the confidence in him.”
FILE PHOTO/Daily
The Michigan hockey team will have to replace legendary coach Red Berenson.
MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Editor
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Sophomore running back Eddie McDoom seems poised for a breakout season.
“I can do way
more than just
be handed jet
sweeps”
KEVIN SANTO
Managing Sports Editor
“He can be as
good ... as great
as he wants to
be”