This is what happens when a couple of UV bullets turn into their own post, Larry.

One assistant secured. Matt Norlander:

Coaching scuttle: Former Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton Jr. is soon expected to join Dusty May's staff at Michigan as an assistant, sources tell @CBSSports. Boynton has other options at the high-major level, but May has put a high priority on Boynton in Year 1 in Ann Arbor.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 3, 2024

Boynton was as South Carolina with Brad Underwood when Underwood was named the head coach at Stephen F Austin, spent four years there, followed Underwood to Oklahoma State, and then got the head job when Underwood bounced after one year.

His tenure at Oklahoma State was meh on the surface, with one bid in seven years and two other NIT appearances. Glancing at analytics is more encouraging since Boynton largely fielded solid teams in an increasingly brutal Big 12. His teams went #59, 83, 53, 33, 34, and 46 in Kenpom before bottoming out this year. He did plant a Kenpom flag: after Underwood's single year at OSU saw the Pokes finish 155th in defensive efficiency, Boynton had a two-year build, then a four-year run of top-50 defenses, the latter three all top 20. He could be this staff's Yaklich.

[After THE JUMP: Cade Cunnningham mentioned, portal update]

Boynton's tenure was most notable for copping what may be the last postseason ban in NCAA history in the aftermath of Cade Cunningham's single year in Stillwater. That ban was widely perceived as absurd at the time, and was only rendered more absurd when Kansas got away scot free a year later. OSU's NCAA issue was assistant Lamont Evans taking bribes to steer players to particular agents, not anything that would lead to an on-court advantage. Boynton was not implicated.

The words "Cade" and "Cunningham" in the previous paragraph imply that Boynton's recruiting chops are the most appealing thing about him as an assistant. Also, the general reaction to the news:

Mike Boynton is going to be an ELITE recruiter for Michigan. https://t.co/dKUjG1Uo5O

— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) April 3, 2024

The quote tweets on Norlander's news are full of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State people saying they're happy for him, that he's the best guy, etc. The vibe here is the same as it is with May: everyone loves this dude.

Some caveats about the recruiting chops: Boynton hired Cunningham's brother as an on-court assistant, and his recruiting was subject to wild swings.

• 2018: #228, unranked, unranked, unranked
• 2019: #83, #112, #119, #158, unranked
• 2020: #1, #64, #138, unranked, unranked, unranked
• 2021: no high school recruits
• 2022: #124
• 2023: #38, #45, #134, #147, unranked
• 2024: #144

That is two bangers—2020 and 2023—and one pretty good Beilein-ish class (2019) and then a ton of transfers and fliers. I don't know how to contextualize that. The NCAA investigation undoubtedly put a damper on Boynton's recruiting, and while Okie State is historically a good program they were not much of a player in NIL. Take it from the man himself:

It’s not hard to see why Dusty May would want Mike Boynton at Michigan pic.twitter.com/wYWLKvkRXm

— Anthony Broome (@anthonytbroome) April 3, 2024

His rep is off the charts, so we'll go with that.

FWIW, #38 and #45 in '23 are Eric Dailey and Brandon Garrison, who both hit the portal. Garrison is a center; Michigan might look at him if they don't get the Vlad Goldin/Daniel Wolf combo platter. Dailey is a bouncy 6'8" wing with a relatively simple offensive game and a ton of upside. Michigan was on his list when he was a recruit, FWIW.

The big portal. He's in:

Florida Atlantic's Johnell Davis has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility, per his IG page.

Davis will also enter the transfer portal.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 3, 2024

Davis immediately slots in as the top available transfer on the Athletic's board:

…one of the best scorers in the portal and has turned himself into an elite shooter, knocking down 41.4 percent of his 3s this past season. He plays bigger than his size and is a strong outside-of-his area rebounder, averaging 6.3 boards per game.

After playing on a balanced scoring team during FAU’s 2023 Final Four run, Davis showed this season he could be a high-usage scorer. He’s good off the catch, and as a righty who prefers to drive left, he also can put the ball on the floor to score at all three levels. He was at his best in big games, averaging 20.8 points against the six high majors on FAU’s schedule and scoring a season-high 35 points against Arizona. Davis is also a willing passer when he gets downhill. He’s always been turnover-prone, which is partly due to his aggressiveness.

FWIW, none of the FAU guys are on ESPN's top 100 or in Sam Vecenie's latest mock draft, so it's likely they will be playing in college next year. You'd have to imagine that if the NIL is right they will follow Dusty May. May said he spends "25 to 30" percent of his time on NIL in his introductory press conference so he's not shy about the reality of college basketball in 2024; hopefully Michigan's able to get some things done here.  

The Athletic is also super high on Danny Wolf, who ranks in their top ten:

… a 7-footer, but he’s not a particularly stiff one. He moves exceedingly well for his size, with real speed. He sprints to areas to post up, often beating his defender to the spot to get strong post position. He can attack opposing bigs off the bounce in a serious way off of spot-up situations, getting to the rim quickly and finishing with flexibility. He has actual crossover moves and can pump fake to force a defender off their feet. He shot 47 percent from the field, which seems not great for a big, but it’s because well over half of his attempts at the rim are self-created looks on drives or post-ups.

But part of why the drives work is that Wolf can also step away and shoot the 3. He made 35 percent from distance this year, showing that you have to respect him out there. He has some real range out there, too. The key for Wolf is the growth trajectory he’s on. Last year, he was a real project at Yale, getting only seven minutes per game. After only a year, he was already one of the best players in that league. The idea here is what he could be after another offseason of work.

Goldin is 14:

… one of the best back-to-the-basket players in college basketball. Last season, he scored 1.203 points per possession on post-ups, per Synergy. He takes pride in being able to shoot equally well with either hand and can score over either shoulder. If he gets close to the basket, he will dunk it with authority. His aggressiveness went up this season as his confidence grew, allowing him to bump his scoring average up from 10.2 points as a junior to 15.7 points as a senior.

Goldin’s biggest weakness is that he struggles playing in space. He runs the floor hard, moves well for his size and is a solid rim protector in drop coverage in the pick-and-roll. He’s not the quickest laterally and he’s a little stiff in the hips, but he’s an adequate defender if allowed to stay close to the basket.

Dailey and Connor Essegian are 48 and 69, respectively. CBS's list is less detailed but FWIW it has Davis #1, Goldin #5, Wolf #35, and Dailey #50.

Assistant #2? There's been some chatter about Georgia assistant Akeem Miskdeen re-joining May at Michigan. Miskdeen was on May's staff at FAU before a high-major opportunity came calling, and he would probably help with the biggest name on the board.

FAU’s Johnell Davis comes over to press row and hugs Georgia assistant Akeem Miskdeen, who recruited the guy they call “Nelly” to FAU when Miskdeen was on Dusty May’s staff at the start of his tenure. #March pic.twitter.com/qFn7eZHF1j

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 26, 2023

Miskdeen is also busy recruiting one Khani Rooths to Georgia, which almost got Rooths in the first place. FWIW, Miskdeen was making 275k when hired at Georgia; Michigan's lowest-paid assistant at the same point in time was Saddi Washington at 344k.

Speculative phone call section. First some less speculative phone calls: the entire FAU class decommitted. Elijah Elliott, Lorenzo Cason, and Ty Robinson are on the market.

Arkansas's Eric Mussleman just bounced for USC after USC's Andy Enfield took the SMU job. Yes, this is both guys getting out of town before the fans can round up a posse. For Michigan, this means some recruits could shake free. Arkansas has #45 Isaiah Elohim, a 6'5" shooting guard, and #72 Jalen Shelley, a 6'8" small forward. USC has a couple of SG/SF guys just outside the top 100. One of them is from Idaho, and therefore knows Colston Loveland.

Michigan appears on the long list of programs contacting ND C Carey Booth. Oakland's Trey Townsend is another local option and "has interest" from M, but seems more likely to be a Michigan State guy.

I'm keeping Liam McNeeley in this section until he's literally in a Michigan uniform, but FWIW:

Liam McNeeley, the top unsigned senior and No. 15 overall recruit, has been in touch with Kansas, UConn, Kentucky, Houston and Michigan since decommitting from Indiana, he said at the McDonald’s All-American Game media day.

“There’s more for sure that I’m missing, but those are the ones at the top of my mind right now,” he said at the McDonald’s Game.

Even though I put the chances of this happening at 1%, I'm taking it as a good sign that Michigan can hire FAU's coach and make a McDonald's All American's top five next to two one-seeds, Kansas, and Kentucky.

Extremely speculative percentages section.

Let's put some numbers on things, for funsies:

• Michigan hires Miskdeen: 90%. It makes too much sense, from prior experience with May to his relationships with Davis and Rooths.
• Johnell Davis: 80%. Have to think that if the NIL is right it'll happen. I wish we lived in a world where I could peg this at 95%, but we don't.
• Vlad Goldin: 80%. Ditto.
• Danny Wolf: 80%. Wolf entered asking for no-contact, has already had an in-person visit with May, and nearly walked on at Michigan instead of going to Yale. Even if Goldin does come it seems like he's willing to play 15 MPG and then start as a senior.
• Connor Essegian: 60%. UMHoops believes it's a clunky fit, and I can see that. He's a guy who thrives on off-ball cuts and is an iffy defender. But with Michigan piecing together a roster out of virtually nothing he's a relatively established Big Ten player who will have a chip on his shoulder about Wisconsin. Take? Take. In year one I think he's a 15-20 MPG bench guy you'd be happy with. If he wants to be a 30 MPG guy guaranteed he probably wont be in Ann Arbor.
• George Washington III: 60%. Seemed into it after the intro press conference.
• Nick Boyd: 50%. Has two to play and knows May's system but a less obvious high-major player than Davis and Goldin.
• Khani Rooths: 50%. If Michigan snipes Miskdeen they're obviously right back in the game here, but recommitting is always difficult to pull off.
• Alijah Martin: 50%. Will jump up if he hits the portal but since he hasn't there is a possibility he wants to be the alpha at FAU.
• Eric Dailey: 40%. Like Essegian, not a super clean fit for what May likes to do. On the other hand, defensive upside is what Boynton wants to do. Feel like NIL will be a factor here and Michigan will have spent most of its kitty on others. OTOH, dude must love Boynton.
• Elijah Elliott/Ty Robinson/Lorenzo Cason: 40%. The FAU decommits obviously know and like Dusty May and would probably jump at the chance to play in the Big Ten. It remains to be seen whether May prefers them to other options.
• Brandon Garrison: 10%. I am assuming he gets pre-empted by Goldin and Wolf.
• Tarris Reed: 5%. His old HS coach is an assistant at KSU and they have a wide open center depth chart. He might go off the board soon.
• Giancarlo Rosado: 5%. If Michigan gets the top two bigs on their board they won't have a spot for him.
• Liam McNeeley: 1%.
• Dug McDaniel: 0%.
• Christian Anderson: 0%. Post-hire decommits don't get undone.

Etc.: Northern Michigan Hockey == Michigan Basketball.