Kevin Borseth is the best coach at UM.
I know that women's hoops doesn't get a ton of notoriety on the board but..... when you talk about Michigan Men, there is no truer GoBlue Blood than Coach Borseth. Born and raised here in Michigan and another coach whose dream job is coaching the Wolverines. Does anyone produce more out of his teams than this guy and does anyone show more passion than him?
Ya, he looks like a madman, but I would put this guy against any other coach in mens' or womens' hoops.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^
Is now the best coach at UM!
I here what you're saying though!
January 21st, 2011 at 12:02 PM ^
the double post!!!!!
January 21st, 2011 at 12:04 PM ^
buddy. It's Friday! We have a coach. We ain't got sh*t to do...
January 21st, 2011 at 12:01 PM ^
Red Berenson?
January 21st, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
Thank you. Red isn't just the best coach at Michigan, he is a top five coach in the history of his sport.
In a sport like hockey, where chemistry is half the battle and luck is the other, to have a .669 after 26 years is absolutely insane. Not to mention his 20 year tournament streak which, while not denigrating the [late] bowl streak, is harder to do than make than the bowl season.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:03 PM ^
his name would be more awesome if it were Broseth.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:03 PM ^
Red Berenson.
Other women's coaches? There's that guy at UConn who is pretty good...
January 21st, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^
who gets 5 HS All Americans each year!
January 21st, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^
Ummmm.. Isn't recruiting part of a coach's job? Just asking.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:44 PM ^
There's a reason everyone wants to play for him.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:04 PM ^
Fred Jackson is the best coach, not just at Michigan, but in the history of hominids. He's like a combination of John Wooden, Ghandi, and Bill Belichick, but more charismatic.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:06 PM ^
Don't forget Vince Lombardi.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:15 PM ^
He's like Tom Brady but handsome
January 21st, 2011 at 3:19 PM ^
and he has better taste in women.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^
...an echo in here?
/s
January 21st, 2011 at 12:07 PM ^
Coach Hutchins of the softball team is the leader and best. She is in her 27th year as head coach and has more wins than any other coach in U-M history. She has been inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
Hear Hear. Heard her speak in Bacon's class, her story is amazing. The sexism she faced and defeated in her career is amazing. She is a true pioneer of women's college athletics.
January 21st, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
I heard her speak too, and it is amazing what she had to deal with. When Don Canham hired her at Michigan, she was the head softball coach...and the secretery to the Women's Athletic Director! How many of the male coaches do you think had to do secreterial work as well?
Also, I didn't realize until she said it that at the time, women got different varsity jackets than men did. It had a smaller M, different sleeves, and a different collar.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:50 PM ^
super impressive to me when coaches here can succeed wildly here when the traditional (and often for these sports sole) talent base isn't the midwest. Carol Hutchins really does an incredible job, with a sport that is completely west coast dominated, in getting some of the west coast talent, scouring the midwest for talent and then making that talent championship calber.
Similarly, the Michigan Water Polo coach, Matt Anderson, generally fields a top 10 team in another sport that is completely west coast dominated.
Marcia Pankratz with the Field Hockey team won an NC in 2001 (first ever Michigan women's NC) with primarily east coast talent. Obviously that's closer to the midwest than west coast, but still not an easy accomplishment.
And Bev Plocki in women's gymnastics has 17 Big Ten Championships (in 21 seasons!) including 7 straight and has never won a NC, but has placed 2nd twice.
There are a ton of really, REALLY good coaches at Michigan. And they all face different challenges in terms of recruiting, in how competitive their sport is nationally, in how competetive the conference is for that sport and probably a gazillion other things I never notice, so it's probably not possible to say who the "best" is (though if I have to vote, it's Red, with Hutch in 2nd) and we could sit here all day talking about how awesome many/most of our head coaches are.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:08 PM ^
Well said!
January 21st, 2011 at 2:55 PM ^
Yes. You can say all you want about Red Berenson, and it would be well deserved, but Hutch is clearly the best coach at Michigan, and maybe in her sport.
January 21st, 2011 at 3:29 PM ^
John U. Bacon told us a fun story in his class once. He was interviewing Bo one night at Schembechler Hall and they wrapped up and headed to the parking lot. Bacon was driving Bo home, and as they were leaving the parking lot, they saw Carol Hutchins leaving the softball complex (it was spring and a game had just concluded). Bo saw her and said "Bacon--there goes the best damn coach on this campus!" Then Bacon said he could see in Bo's face that he realized that that included Lloyd Carr, so Bo quickly added "Well, the best women's coach,anyway!"
Bacon also told us that Bo was glued to the TV during the softball team's run to the 2005 National Championship and was beyond excited when they won. It just goes to show that it doesn't matter if they coach different sports, great coaches always recognize great coaching when they see it.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
Borseth is awesome, but you've got to give Red this one. The thing with Borseth is that he doesn't get the best talent. Like last year they were really young (they still are) but they made it pretty far in the WNIT.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:12 PM ^
The best coach at U of M is my part-time acting coach, Frank Stallone.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:24 PM ^
dude coaches with the same intensity. it's awesome to watch. if it were as awesome to watch women's basketball, i'd be at all the games for sure.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^
Five minutes into any game, regardless of the score, you could fry an egg on the guy's head.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^
And he looks like Johnny Orr on the bench!
January 21st, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
I agree is intensity is unmatched!! His record speaks for itself. He resurrects programs everywhere. He is a genuine bleed blue Michigan Man.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:34 PM ^
Red Berenson is the best coach at Michigan.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:47 PM ^
period.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
Coach Hutch won the first softball title east of the Mississippi. She made M-softball to the Big Ten what OSU is to football in our conference. Just remarkable.
And Red took this team heights not seen in decades. From Denny Felsner to Brendan Morrison to Jack Johnson he has built a powerhouse of a program that has put MSU into little brother status on the ice.
Borseth is doing a terrific job trying to put all the pieces together and will be greatly helped by the Crisler upgrades, but he has a bit to do before he tops those two.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
OFFENSIVE REBOUNDZZ!!!!!!!
January 21st, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^
Uh, not really.
January 21st, 2011 at 1:34 PM ^
January 21st, 2011 at 2:16 PM ^
Kevin Borseth = Good Michigan coach
Red Berenson = Legendary Michigan coach
January 21st, 2011 at 3:30 PM ^
Can't be a legend in 3 years, give Kevin time, he'll be a legend,
January 21st, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^
We have some great coaches at Michigan. While Borseth, Hutch, etc. are great coaches, I still have to give this one to Red.
He's a former Michigan player, Academic All-American, and NHLer that took the program from a very low point, while our main rival MSU was arguably at its highest point, and built it into what it is today. He has an unbelievable win total and percentage, has 2 national titles, coached 2 Hobey Baker winners and numerous NHL players (including '93 NCAA goal leader Mike Knuble, who went to my high school OMG crazy), all while winning with class, respect, and integrity. When you include the academic performance he expects and receives from his players, it's incredible.
Add in the 20 year NCAA tourney run, in which you need to finish in the top 13 or 14 in the rankings to get a bid, is something that I don't think will be matched again, barring a tournament expansion. We're very lucky to have a coach like Red, as well as Mel Pearson and Billy Powers.
January 21st, 2011 at 2:42 PM ^
I vote for Coach Berenson. Coach is a hall of fame coach. Name another coach in hockey that has won the Jack Adams award in the NHL and then coached a university to multiple NCAA titles.
January 21st, 2011 at 3:18 PM ^
I'm not sure if you could say he's the best coach, but he's definitely my favorite. Stand-up guy and entertaining to watch, love the intensity he brings.
January 21st, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
But I have to go with Red.
January 21st, 2011 at 4:10 PM ^
First thing that comes to mind when this guy is mentioned is his epic rant
He starts off banging his fist on the podium
THAT'S HOW I FEEL
Brilliant way to start off the conference and then to go on a rant like that, if only more coaches did that
January 21st, 2011 at 4:29 PM ^
He's awesome, although I can't quite call him the best just yet. I kind of feel bad for the women's team that they play in Crisler - it's just too big for them and means they have to play in front of a lot of empty seats. They really need a more intimate venue. Maybe save Crisler for games against MSU and the like.