MGoPodcast 15.24: May the North Be With You
1 hour and 58 minutes
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1. The Hiring of Dusty May
Starts at 1:00
Brian let Seth out of his basement where he works on the UFRs so he’s off exploring the world somewhere (France). Michigan hired Dusty May as the 18th head men’s basketball coach, and the news was dropped in the middle of a hockey championship game. The rumor was that John Beilein played a big part in getting May. Good job, Warde Manuel! This hire was sniped from Louisville, who thought they could hire him this weekend. Whatever happened to Louisville? Dusty May really turned around Florida Atlantic basketball, which was basically a non-existent program before Dusty. He’s had a great track record everywhere he’s been. Dusty May is able to keep his players, even after a Final Four run.
[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]
2. Basketball - Looking Forward to Next Year
Starts at 29:58
What makes Dusty May appealing as a coach? He seems to be really well liked. His teams shoot a lot of 3s and they shoot them pretty well. There are a lot of Beilein parallels. Who comes back? Who do you try and get? Johnell Davis is his star and has a year remaining. Alijah Martin and Vladislav Goldin are the other two starters who could come over as grad transfers. Does Dusty bring over his coaching staff and do you retain any of the coaching staff from an 8-24 team? Who do you want to keep from last season’s roster? We’re completely happy with the hire but there isn’t a statistic that pops out consistently every year (except defensive assist rate). Expectations for next year are very low, fill a roster with guys you can build a program from. He’s going to have to hit the portal pretty hard.
3. Football Bits
Starts at 1:07:05
Wink Martindale’s contract makes him the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football. When’s the last time you saw a long-term NFL coordinator jump back to college? Greg Scruggs has resigned and the guy to keep an eye on now is Terrance Jamison from Illinois. DJ Waller and Jyaire Hill are the two names that popped up during Sherrone Moore’s press conference as looking impressive so far. It might be Jack Tuttle as the spring front runner at QB until someone comes in and takes it. Don’t take too much stock into his Indiana career. Michigan has lost good receivers over the last three recruiting cycles, they need to get some more guys. Will Michigan pass more under Sherrone Moore? Probably not. Cam Goode was not on scholarship, he was on NIL all last season. The era of scholarship limits is over!
4. NCAA Hockey Tournament
Starts at 1:31:49
Michigan hockey is a #3 seed and gets to play in an empty stadium in Maryland Heights, Missouri! They get North Dakota in the first game and are in an overall manageable draw. North Dakota's goalie seems like a guy. Michigan loses in OT to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game and Michigan State's game-tying goal might be the worst call we've ever seen. Michigan had a waved off goal that was also questionable. We've seen Michigan State many times, we're ok with drawing them as the #1 seed. When can we see the end of the tournament format of playing in empty neutral sites? The game is Friday at 8:30 on ESPNU.
MUSIC:
- "Mayday" — Home Free
- “Rum And Coca Cola" — The Andrews Sisters
- “Ready to Go”— Republica
- “Across 110th Street”
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"They need butts in seats in that room. And in the stadium."
uh, yes, louisville was a pretty good program before pitino got there.
Yeah. I mean, I wasn't alive/old enough to appreciate the peak Denny Crum era while it was happening, but a simple internet search reveals he spent 25 years going to 5 Final Fours, including two national championships, and a butt ton of Sweet 16s.
If one considers MSU as a bball 'blue blood', then Louisville is a shoe-in. They've been damn good for a looooong time...
March 25th, 2024 at 11:29 AM ^
Louisville was a pretty good program before Pitino got to Lexington. Crum never figured out how to work with the 3-point line, which always seems weird, because his good teams were built around great wing play. OTOH Pitino adopted the 3-pointer quickly and when he was at Kentucky he squashed Louisville with it.
i clicked on the comments to say this same thing. For some reason no one remembers Denny Crum around here. His teams were legend. Dr. Dunkenstein!
Outside of bringing John Beilein back I think this is about as good a hire as we could expect. Even more impressive that Warde pulled this one off.
247 has some more details on the process - it's paywalled, but gist is Warde actually had his shit together LAST year and Dusty May was on his radar even before he made the Final Four.
Belein played a role as well.
Game recognizes game.
The money is small when the game is good, and the money was not small.
Yeah, I much preferred a guy like May, Medved, etc. over trying to bring a Beilein or Wright-type guy back.
Also, it'll never end here because hardened opinions based on vibes are almost impossible to displace but in fact Warde Manuel may actually be decent at his job.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:01 AM ^
Whoa whoa whoa. If Jay Wright had called Warde and said, "I'd like to get back into coaching," that would have been my number one pay the man his money choice.
Of course, he has zero interest in it, so it wasn't an option.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:34 AM ^
Honestly, a guy who left basketball at Nova because he didn't have the passion or sense he could do the job anymore isn't likely to be a long-term fix for UM and I'd be worried whatever he felt he lost wasn't coming back.
I get that players and coaches change their minds and all that but my general belief is that once you call it quits that's usually for a good reason and making comebacks and trying it again typically don't work out like you hoped. So yeah, I'd rather hire a guy who is younger and focused on getting better than a coach who's a couple years out of the game and may not be in the best headspace for the grind.
A couple years away can reignite a passion. Coaching is tough. Good coaches would benefit from a sabbatical every 4 years but it doesn't work that way.
once you call it quits that's usually for a good reason and making comebacks and trying it again typically don't work out like you hoped.
Michael Jordan would like a word....
March 25th, 2024 at 11:09 AM ^
#recencybias
March 25th, 2024 at 11:35 AM ^
In the Warde hatred or his defense as not the worst AD in the history of all time?
I'll save a longer spiel but it's funny how Warde has done exactly what people want for a while now and yet they just keep complaining about something new.
I'll reiterate what Brian was saying. Everyone's wondering how we lured May from Louisville, but if all I hear about May being a high-character guy is true, then him coming to Michigan may have had more to do with Louisville than anything Manuel or Beilein did.
There's also been a lot of speculation in the threads about, why would a hot name like May want to go to Michigan instead of a "basketball school" like Louisville?
Let's remember that Louisville had its Finals "victory" over Michigan vacated for throwing hookers at high schoolers. Now, it's fun to laugh at the NCAA for being hypocritical and toothless, but put that in perspective when you consider this is the only vacated men's basketball championship in NCAA history. Louisville was so astonishingly dirty that the NCAA actually had to do something about a high-profile, non-Michigan program. So they also had a postseason ban, reduced scholarships, and even got the Feds involved in a pay-for-play corruption scandal. Pitino ran a dirty, dirty program, and was fired for it but you know damn well Louisville would've kept him if he'd managed to keep it all under wraps. He's been gone for a while but that level of stink don't go away with a few years and a can of Febreze.
That's what being a "basketball school" means, and if May is indeed a good person -- I don't know, but if he is -- then he just might not want anything to do with a "basketball school".
Meh... I don't know about the skank argument. Louisville loves hoops, as does Kentucky. That is an excellent job for a coach who can recruit and execute.
Sandusky stinks up Penn State to this poster, but the culture rides on. I love PSU fans (and to be honest, any B1G fan is a breath of fresh air in my non-Midwest hometown).
Michigan gave Juwan a long, too-long rope. If things had gone differently (and they could have), that rope would still be going out. Winning or losing in college basketball isn't all about the coach—maybe less so now than ten or twenty years ago.
Hopefully, we can get the pieces in place to allow May to shine. Dusty's decision probably weighed heavily on the culture argument, but don't forget Michigan gives away free hamburgers and has plenty of less tasty items in the closet.
The real deal is a commitment to winning. Michigan has that, and Warde sold that to an open ear.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:12 AM ^
Here's the thing about May. He grew up in the B1G country since he's from Illinois and graduated from Indiana University. He's a Midwest guy and Michigan fits that Midwest criteria whereas Louisville doesn't. Also, B1G money plays a factor because ACC could be dissolved within the next few years if FSU and Clemson decides to bolt. Michigan isn't a basketball school so he'll get less pressure but with good resources. Being a football school has its benefits for basketball coaches.
On another note, I know a lot of people are worried about Indiana job being available for May, but I think there is a high buyout clause for Indiana. I'm less worried about Indiana than I am with NBA. I think NBA is a bigger threat than Indiana, but if he does bolt for the NBA, it tells me that May has done a good job with the program where it's more attractive so a good problem to have. It's too early to tell though.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:39 AM ^
May is a midwest guy, but he has spent his entire coaching career (18 years) in the south or mid south (Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida) bar one year at EMU
March 25th, 2024 at 11:03 AM ^
You can be a Midwest guy and still spend majority of your career in different region. Maybe he just want to come back to his Midwest roots. Sometimes, the job offer can keep him within the same region.
He started his career at EMU so it's not all South.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:48 AM ^
Again, one year at EMU. Almost 20 in the south and mid south.
He went to High School less than two hours and 90 miles from Louisville, and over 5 hours away from AA.
I'm just saying this whole "he's a Midwestern guy and Lville isn't that, that's why he didn't pick them" thing is just kinda you manufacturing and rationalizing things that sound good.
March 25th, 2024 at 12:30 PM ^
Proximity of location really doesn't play a factor. His HS is closer to Indianapolis than Louisville. It's very much a Midwest region. It's like saying Dayton isn't a Midwest city when it's 2 hours drive from Louisville.
Where he coached in his entire career has nothing to do with his preference. If it's true, he would've been already named a coach at Louisville by now.
Yeah guy is making it out as if Kentucky is Alabama and Michigan is New York or something. It's fucking 1 state apart from us.
Living in Florida can get very tiring. No change of season beats down on a lot of people.
Sarcasm?
As someone who's lived in Michigan for 30 years both in the Detroit and Grayling (lots of snow + long, long winters) area along with last 17 years in Florida I would never consider moving back to Michigan under no circumstance.
If serious, I do understand people who love the beauty of the fall which Florida cannot match, ever....I love Michigan with a passion I just can't do cold anymore, ever.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:29 AM ^
I have to say that I think the "Midwest guy" thing is overblown here. Louisville is less than two hours both from Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
If I were May, I'd have been concerned about the status of the ACC and Louisville's culture.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:39 AM ^
I have lived in the different region even if it's a couple of hours drive away, it's still a different region and different feel than the other region. Louisville is worlds different culturally wise than Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, etc.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:49 AM ^
May also went to HS 90 miles from Lville.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:49 AM ^
May also went to HS 90 miles from Lville.
Holy shit this blog's bpone never ends does it - guy hasn't won one game at Michigan and could be fired in 4 years for all we know, and people have angst about the NBA taking him??
Because there is such a track record of college coaches doing well at the NBA.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:13 AM ^
Now, it's fun to laugh at the NCAA for being hypocritical and toothless, but put that in perspective when you consider this is the only vacated men's basketball championship in NCAA history.
Unfortunately I feel like that's kind of an arbitrary distinction, since I can think of at least thee other teams just off the top of my head that also would have had their championships vacated had they not lost in the finals (sadly we have two of them--1992 and 1993--along with Memphis in ~2008?)...
I have updated my 2024 MGoBlog music playlists with the songs from this episode - here are the links:
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Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/2024-mgoblog-music/pl.u-76bRptg9VE2
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6mqnQiv45tZOGYQjBRNLcP?si=04d75aefe8334ffc
May the MBB rebuild not take too long - Go Blue!
I’d be down for May to keep an assistant or two, mainly Martelli, if just for continuity sake. Maybe May’s roster and system will actually integrate defensive concepts to help the team?
I think the receiver thing is worrisome and I fear the lack of a vertical passing game outside of the TE group is finally catching up with the team. I don’t think there’s a QB on the roster who is close to JJ’s passing abilities and even though the offensive schemes will likely stay the same, the running game will likely shoulder the load to further the lack of passing.
The assistant to keep would've been Sanderson. Alas.
So Warde gave up Sanderson in the name of 'continuity' until the season was over, and then jettisoned Juwan, also. So he lost both of them.
Fire Warde again?
March 25th, 2024 at 11:26 AM ^
Sanderson wasn't "sacrificed" for Howard unless the belief is that Howard should have been fired 2 years ago after missing the tournament. Yes, it sounds like Howard and Sanderson didn't get along but the minute Sanderson filed a complaint with UM's HR he was effectively gone and was just angling for a payout. There's no world in which you fire the coach for what was a verbal altercation and then retain the S&C coach, especially since everyone other than the now-departed HC would surely see you as the reason their HC was fired. That's not a tenable work environment for anyone. He clearly didn't want to work at UM anymore but that incident was two guys blowing up and neither handling it well, but Sanderson's attorney has done a better job in the press framing it in one light.
It sucks to lose Sanderson but contemporaneous reporting of the incident made it sound like he called out the team and the culture and even if that's true, that's not something a member of the staff does in front of the team without the blessing of the HC. But there are other S&C guys out there and I suspect May will bring in a good guy at UM.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:10 AM ^
I like Martelli, Washington and many of the other staff, but... not sure continuity is all that important now (and Martelli might be ready to finally retire and stick with it by now).
March 25th, 2024 at 10:17 AM ^
At this stage, anyone decent at their job is worth keeping, simply so there's one less person to hire.
Hiring sucks. It's really time-intensive (if you do it right) because you spend hours on each candidate, and you want to interview as many as possible, even though for every opening only one person's getting the job.
Sure, you can fast-track it by dipping into a good-ol'-boys club but that's like the complete opposite of a meritocracy so I dearly hope (and it doesn't sound like it anyway) that May won't resort to that.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:27 AM ^
I think either Church or Abernathy or both will follow May to Michigan. I think one would be promoted within to the HC. Church has been with May for a long time and Abernathy has Indiana connections.
I think Adam Howard, the GA from Indiana University, is rumored to follow May. He has a ton of connections with the Indiana high school scene and '25 class looks to be loaded with Indiana recruits.
March 25th, 2024 at 11:16 AM ^
Given the culture issues, you clean house, including Sanderson. Continuity with the recent history of this team shouldn’t be a thing.
I wouldn't retain anyone on staff for the sake of "continuity", no. But as someone who's worked in his share of toxic environments, sometimes it comes from the boss, so all you can do is just grind it out and hope for change. To cut them all loose for issues they had no control over strikes me as unnecessarily shortsighted and cruel. You can at least interview everyone still there and see who's worth keeping around.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:47 AM ^
I’d be down for May to keep an assistant or two, mainly Martelli, if just for continuity sake.
I could see a few support staff guys staying, but really, why would you want to keep anyone of consequence from a program that was 14 games under .500 over the past two seasons? Time for clean house.
I get your sentiment but you have to consider a few things:
1. Is May’s current assistant staff better than who we have now? I don’t know enough about FAU to make a judgement call.
2. Although Martelli was part of the recent shitshow, he was not the director or producer of it. If May’s future roster and leadership is a better fit for what Martelli did contribute to, it’s at least worth exploring bring him back.
3. He’s highly regarded around college basketball circles and coached the team when they still had an once of effort and normalcy.
Continuity of shit? No thanks. Martelli seems like a fine guy, he was a useful tool for a person with zero HC experience; he is old as dirt. Time to enema the program. Get some recruiters, get some ball busters out there who are hungry, get someone who can develop guards.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:13 AM ^
Fans are a funny subsection of the population. Some Louisville supporters are claiming that May chose Michigan for less money than he was offered by their team because he didn't want the pressure that comes with coaching at a big time basketball school. Of course they know this because there could be no other reason. State it as fact and it becomes truth.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:21 AM ^
I mean, I kind of believe it. As if a rabid, toxic, win-at-all-costs, irrational fanbase is a good thing?
Louisville is unironically a great job if you're Rick Pitino. I see no indications we hired a Rick Pitino, and I wouldn't want one anyway.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:42 AM ^
a rabid, toxic, win-at-all-costs, irrational fanbase
I think you just described the Michigan fanbase perfectly. FIRE BAKICH! FIRE WARDE!
March 25th, 2024 at 12:53 PM ^
Every fanbase has crazies. The question is whether they grumble on a blog or succeed in running your starters out of town.
You do realize the "Fire Bakich!" thing was a shtick?
We have some nutters, but by the standards of a huge sports school, our fanbase is relatively tame. Spend some time in SEC country - or Ohio - and you see the difference.
We do the same thing here. Everyone does.
May has turned into a god overnight on the blog. It's the same everywhere.
March 25th, 2024 at 10:26 AM ^
I remain excited about both Dusty May's coaching ability and his duets with Patsy Cline.
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