Catching Up with Canes: Joel Berman
HurricaneSports.com recently caught up with former Miami tennis players to talk about their current career as well as their college years in Coral Gables.
Check out our recent conversation with Joel Berman, who played at Miami from 1998-2002
Q: Where do you live now and what are you up to these days?
A: I now live in St. Petersburg, Fla. After college, I was the assistant coach of the University of Pennsylvania for a couple of years while coaching some kids on the side, and after four years I went to law school at Stetson Law. I then became an assistant state attorney in Pinellas County and now I joined the Law Firm of Yanchuck, Berman, Wadley, Zervos & Thomas and I do personal injury and criminal defense.
Q: What is your fondest memory of playing in Miami?
A: I could talk for days about my fondest memories. The first one is, after a heartbreaking loss in the BIG EAST Championship in my freshman year against Notre Dame, and coming back next year as a sophomore being able to clinch the BIG EAST championship against Notre Dame, against our biggest rival at the time. We really stepped up after we were heartbroken the year before.
Q: Do you still keep in touch with any of your teammates? And if so, which ones?
A: Yes, and I think that is one of the biggest things I will take out of the University of Miami. Some of my closest friends in my wedding, my best man were my teammates. We basically have a group chat that honestly has about five or six of our teammates. Andrew Golub, Tarik El-Bassiouni, Jose Liberman, Michael Lang, we still talk to Johan Lindqvist and Arpad Odry. There are literally sometimes 250 to 500 texts a day between us. Whether it be about our families, because now all of us are married with children, or funny memories from 15 years ago. It’s like we were in college literally last month. This team is that close. We still see each other. Andrew Golub and I both live in St. Petersburg, Tarik El-Bassiouni is moving from Strasberg to move to St. Petersburg, so were going to keep this team together. Tarik and I have talked about getting back in shape and playing some tennis matches together as we finished our senior year playing together in doubles. So we get out there and playing the 35’s. So that is the best thing. Literally daily I could wake up at 7 a.m. or at midnight and we still have text messages from each other talking about anything.
Q: How has having a degree from Miami helped you?
A: I think it helps in many ways. I’m a diehard Hurricane. My parents graduated here in 1972. I’ve been a Hurricane my whole life. I was in the Orange Bowl at the age of 8 and 9 watching Melvin Bratton and all these great players in our great Hurricane days. I’ve always wanted to be a Hurricane and when Jay Berger recruited me it really was a dream come true. What makes me a Hurricane is a special thing. They talk about it all of the time, but we are a family. I think Warren Sapp even talked about it in his hall of fame speech. People don’t understand what it is to be at The U. And The U is everything to me. Fifteen years later I’m still wearing my Miami tennis stuff. Anywhere I go, I’m wearing Miami gear. You know people like to talk and tease, “oh, you went to Miami,” and I say, “I absolutely did.” You know it’s a special place. The U is a family and it’s like the friends – The friends are still here 15 years later. We’re out here grinding on the tennis courts together like it was yesterday.
Q: Since leaving UM, have you followed the teams? And if so, what has impressed you the most?
A: I’ve kept in touch with the coaches over the years. Mario is a great guy. I’ve had the opportunity to watch the matches for the last 15 years and I’ll come to a couple every year, especially every time they play at South Florida. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to the team over the years to explain to them, really, how special it is to be a Hurricane. You’re not just playing for yourself. You’re playing for a school. You’re playing for a legacy. To instill that in the new guys is important. Even though we’re 15 years out, we feel like it was yesterday, and we want to be involved. We want to do all of these alumni things. We want the teams to know who we are and what we did 15 years ago, that great 2001 Sweet 16 team that made that great run. For them to know how hard we worked, and what it takes to be successful and what Miami is all about. If they can truly understand what it is to play at the U, I think they’ll get back on track. I’m hoping that I’ll have the opportunity, whether it be in anything that Mario needs or anything the athletic department needs, to help out in any way.
