WestQuad

March 24th, 2024 at 4:15 PM ^

I don't know.  Maybe ask him and/or some of his friends if he is drinking on a regular basis.  Most people never get a DUI.  If you have one, it is a red flag and is something that should be evaluated.   I don't expect anything to come up on a Shemmy Schembechler style background check, but a month plus one seems like it would be pretty thorough.  Maybe buy the guy a Lyft or Uber gift card at orientation.

nerv

March 24th, 2024 at 6:39 AM ^

This seems like about the best hire we could have made at this point in time. The people who honestly thought we were making runs at guys like Wright or Calipari are pretty silly. On many levels. Im happy to see what May can do with the program.

colonel

March 24th, 2024 at 9:44 AM ^

I've been in the "call Jay Wright to make him say no" camp. If there were even a 0.1% chance he'd take the job, I think you call him.

So either they did, and he wasn't interested, or they didn't, and he wasn't interested, so we move on. May seems like a good hire. My preference was for Abdur-Rahim, based solely on vibes, but there's no doubt May has some juice. Count me in.

basketballjones

March 24th, 2024 at 9:10 AM ^

Hope it works but I have my strong doubts. On the positive he knows you need more then 3 guards are your roster.

Did read through whole thread but I’m sure Warde got some credit for getting not only their #1 target but other schools too. Or are you guys giving some rando the credit?

 

Stuntrooster

March 24th, 2024 at 9:45 AM ^

Excited for this new chapter in Michigan basketball. Might be two years worth of Year 0 depending on NIL and the transfer game, but I think he will get it turned around.

ChampsoftheWest

March 24th, 2024 at 9:53 AM ^

I’ve been downvoted on this, but the only reason I mention Creighton’s McDermott is specifically because Sam Webb was saying we would kick the tires around on him and his buyout wasn’t horrible (or even published). I get that he’s now in sweet 16 and we wouldn't/couldn't hire him yet, but he’s made the sweet 16 three years in a row. Dusty will be fine, and of course we weren’t getting Wright or any of these other pipe dreams, but it should at least have been said that he returned most of his seniors this year and lost in the first round to NW. 

 

on the flip side, it is being reported that Beilein was asked to help in the coaching search and he helped Warde chose May, and possibly will be involved in some capacity in the program… don’t know if that is a bench coach or what, but this is at least a positive outlook in hiring Dusty. Time will tell.

Clarence Boddicker

March 24th, 2024 at 10:00 AM ^

Great hire. Get Manuel that extension. Read this (paywalled) article in The Athletic from March 3, 2023, and I'm even more impressed.

“I think that’s what makes him so good is he’s in this business for the right reasons, man,” says Murray State coach Steve Prohm, who was an assistant on the Racers staff with May for one season. “He just loves coaching ball. He’s like an old-school ball coach, to where if he was a high school coach here at Murray High, he’d be going with the same energy that he is at Florida Atlantic. He just loves basketball, and he loves coaching and teaching.”

“He’s never been one to talk about what they’re doing,” McCasland says. “He’s been the one to ask how to do things better. He’s always searching to try to improve.”

https://theathletic.com/4284970/2023/03/09/dusty-may-florida-atlantic-college-basketball-ncaa/

uminks

March 24th, 2024 at 11:20 AM ^

Dusty looks like a good hire. I expect an improvement in our defensive play and overall better basketball fundamentals. that lead back to coaching.

kehnonymous

March 24th, 2024 at 11:28 AM ^

I've given him a bit of crap in this space and stand by much of it, but honestly this looks as good a job as Warde Manuel could've managed.  Fired Juwan on a Friday afternoon as one does and moved on to as reasonable a get as you could ask for.

Obviously we still have to see how May pans out and we still have to get our NILand transfer issues sorted but I think Warde done good here 

tybert

March 24th, 2024 at 12:19 PM ^

Although I had Devries as my top choice (given his extended record at Drake), May was also a great hire. He took a program that had ZERO history and got them 60 wins in two years, plus a Final Four. 

Next year will be rough on the record side but the culture will get a fresh re-start. When JB took over for Amaker, he had to break in a lot of new people where the culture was "soft" - Dusty has a different problem. The culture under Juwan was both lazy and entitled. Guys wanting to better their own resume (1 and dones) vs. play team ball and commit to at least a 3 year plan. 

Warde deserves some good credit for this one - I wonder if JB also helped behind the scenes???

GO BLUE!

MGoBlue96

March 24th, 2024 at 1:54 PM ^

I mean I would have preferred if UM waited a little bit and took a swipe at someone like McDermott, worse case he says no. The rest of the candidates were more or less interchangeable to me so better to get the guy you want asap if that is the direction you are going to go. My only real reservation with May is sample size.

Wendyk5

March 24th, 2024 at 3:25 PM ^

Excellent. May he have much success and be free of the torch and pitchfork crowd should that success not come fast enough for their liking.