Dusty May Named Michigan Men's Basketball Head Coach
During the middle of the Michigan Hockey game, news broke that Michigan Men's Basketball has a new head coach. That would be Florida Atlantic University coach Dusty May:
ESPN Sources: Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May has agreed on a deal to become the next coach at the University of Michigan. Andy Miller — May’s representative with Klutch Sports — is completing details with school officials on a long-term contract tonight. pic.twitter.com/oEVAzbbDuW
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 24, 2024
May, 47, has been the head coach at Florida Atlantic since the 2018-19 season. He inherited a historically awful program and immediately delivered them to decency, putting together four seasons that were mostly treading water before authoring a campaign for the ages last season. His FAU Owls went 18-2 to win Conference USA, both the regular season and tournament crown, before going on a Cinderella run to the Final Four. FAU came up just short in the national semifinals at the hands of the San Diego State Aztecs, but it was the sort of campaign that put May on national radars as a rising coach, with FAU's final record being 35-4. May's Owls returned most players from last season for 2023-24 and went 25-9 overall, 14-4 to finish 2nd in the American Athletic Conference, a new conference that they joined (in addition to playing a difficult non-conference schedule).
May has connections to the Midwest and the state of Michigan. He was born in Peoria, Illinois, and attended high school in Greene, Indiana. May was a student manager under Bob Knight while attending Indiana University, from which he graduated in 2000. He worked video coaching jobs at Indiana and USC before getting his first assistant coaching job at Eastern Michigan for the 2005-06 season. From there he was an assistant at Murray State, UAB, Louisiana Tech, and Florida, before taking the FAU job.
May was under consideration for both the Ohio State and the Louisville jobs, the other top openings this cycle. OSU decided to promote their interim coach, while Michigan reportedly beat out Louisville for May's services. It is reported that May has signed a five-year contract, as most coaches at Michigan do. We will have more on May in the coming days.
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March 23rd, 2024 at 11:36 PM ^
I think he should build the program with players that will be here for a while. And with Michigan's credit transfer policies, what's available in the portal is probably limited mostly to graduate students.
However, given the current state of the roster, there's not much to crowd out, so I think he can go portal-crazy for next year until he can start to get his own recruits onto the team for the 2025/26 season. It might be possible to have a shot at the bubble with enough portal guys.
But yes, next season will likely be a throw-away year no matter the UM record.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:05 AM ^
If he’s not in the tournament by year two then Michigan made the wrong choice. He has a wide open roster to attack the portal and get what he needs. He can bring a few from FAU with him, get Rooths back in the fold and then hit the portal.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:26 AM ^
What? Leaning heavily on the portal to fill out a nearly barren roster will NOT work at Michigan, especially if it wants to build long-term stability. Michigan can largely get only grad transfers or freshmen. There's no quickie solution, dude. This is a total rebuild, basically starting from zero. Good luck luring quality senior transfers to a team that will probably finish last in the B10 (and that also doesn't throw a lot of NIL money around). This rebuild has to begin with recruiting. And it will take a couple years. The Beilein approach. The portal is just for adding a piece here and there.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:41 AM ^
He’s got Cheddar and Burnett coming back at least. If he brings a couple from FAU to go along with a couple from the portal that’s already a decent core to go along with the freshmen. That’s assuming that Reed and Dug stay in the portal. Everyone except Burnett could come back the next year besides his FAU guys. Recruit a couple good ones and add another 1-2 from the portal and year two is looking even better. I just don’t see Michigan as a program that should be waiting 3-4 years to be remotely relevant.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:59 AM ^
Woo hoo 40% shooter Burnett! What a backbone piece for next year. Cmon man these players wouldn't touch the court during Michigan's heydey..
So you want him to recruit ten freshman? How does that work? How do we recruit anyone for 2025 when we have a monster ten person 2024 class??
Absolutely it can, you start with the portal as a bridge.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:25 AM ^
UM will not make the tourney next year, nor the year after that.
Next year is a total rebuild, but beyond that is anyone's guess. Things change quickly in this sport. It was only two years ago that we were in the Sweet 16.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:57 AM ^
I am sure he did no research before moving his family across the country.
Season ticket holder here-
I will give him till 2027 (or 28)
next year is a write off
happy with the hire
March 24th, 2024 at 10:49 AM ^
Michigan will make the NIT next season and then the tournament the year after. Write it down. Dusty will be hustling from day one. He’ll bring in some solid recruits/transfers very quickly.
I'm willing to concede Michigan is unlikely to make the ncaa tournament in 2025, but mostly because of admissions. A quick fix with transfers is probably not going to be allowed.
Beyond that I expect a competitive team and will not just say "oh well" if they're not just in the tournament, but upsetting favored teams.
We've just see it too many times in too many places to accept less. Again, recognizing that in today's college hoops world, the portal is the way to build a program. It's on Santa now...
March 23rd, 2024 at 11:12 PM ^
Guard play. Guard play. Guard play. You win in college basketball with guard play and I dont think there is any doubt Dusty May knows what he is doing when it comes to guards. It would be one thing if he lucked into 2 guys that did everything, but his teams these last 2 years had 6 guards that could all play. That is no fluke to me. This program is going to be built on guard play again and I love it.
March 23rd, 2024 at 11:32 PM ^
From the Woj article:
May ultimately became swept away with Michigan's alumni network and its fierce loyalty to the university and athletics, sources said, and he believes that will help transcend some of the inherently transactional nature of the modern NIL/transfer portal era in recruiting and player retention.
Transformational not transactional!
March 23rd, 2024 at 11:33 PM ^
That will help transcend some of the inherently transactional nature of the modern NIL/transfer portal era in recruiting and player retention...
He says as he takes over a program with 100% attrition.
These are not people leaving a well run program with a coaching staff that did much developing.
Different situation.
And it's clear based on those comments the college coaching community knows the "self inflicted one arm behind it's back" nature of Michigan basketball in the transfer portal.
And that's going to turn off some other coaches from coming here.
Well, "some other coaches" will have to deal, because May just took the job.
So, if he's against the transactional nature of the transfer portal, does that mean he won't try to entice his FAU players to come to Michigan?
Or does it mean he will try to get them to come, but he'll use good vibes and "the Michigan Difference" to sell them on coming, as opposed to money?
March 24th, 2024 at 10:52 AM ^
Dusty agrees with the Michigan model of pay the players, but don’t pay the players to come. Come because you want to be part of a team that will work hard to win championships. Come because you want to have a degree from the greatest university in the world. Come to work hard and be part of something great. And in the meantime, once you’re here, Michigan will get you some killer NIL deals that are very worthwhile. It’s the same model that Jim used and obviously to great success.
Can you see a path that utilizes both?
I can...
Unless a player literally does not care about anything further than the next bag, with no vision for the future or his life options (and those players have never really gravitated towards Michigan, even before NIL), then a path that has some NIL but leads with the Michigan Difference is where the return to greatness lies.
March 23rd, 2024 at 11:39 PM ^
Why not all three: transactional, transformational and transcendental?
March 24th, 2024 at 12:22 AM ^
Dusty May reads MGoBlog
He's going to transcend it, eh? I'd love a Powerpoint presentation on his plan for that.
Can transcendence be PowerPointed?
March 23rd, 2024 at 11:32 PM ^
This is exciting! He's apparently very well regarded as a person, and he knows how to build a program. I highly recommend reading Dylan's ten points about him over on UMHoops...Next year won't be good as far as wins and losses, I have to think, but it will be fun to watch the team grow.
March 23rd, 2024 at 11:59 PM ^
May Madness!
At least we beat Louisville this time…
And Santa tweets out the hire from the back row of a box in Munn… Me thinks Santa likes being the Prez of a Big Time Sports School…
March 24th, 2024 at 12:30 AM ^
Does FAU have any poachable quality players? I feel like his most recent team was mostly upper-classmen, but I don't know about their eligibility.
March 24th, 2024 at 10:53 AM ^
It’s been reported they’ve got 2 guys who will be grad transfers. One is a legit player that would start for Michigan next year easily.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:11 AM ^
Hmmmm... wonder if I have any "In Dusty we trusty!" gear I can bring back into rotation from my Cubs fandom. Those never go out of style, right?
March 24th, 2024 at 12:22 AM ^
Fucking Warde --
Oh, wait.
March 24th, 2024 at 12:32 AM ^
Awesome!
March 24th, 2024 at 12:39 AM ^
Bionic elbows for all!
March 24th, 2024 at 12:51 AM ^
No idea if May is a good hire but almost every hire is a crap shoot. No one knows - we will give it a whirl and that's all you can do. The program is below what some others can offer due to admissions issues affecting your ability to shape and rebuild a team, so you are limiting what coaches would even come here in the first place vs those who are able to play the system as it's now designed..
What I do like is after unprecedented success last season his whole team didn't bail to go to higher paying programs. That is something in this day and age when any ounce of success leads many to walk to the the guy offering the bigger BMW.
They parlayed their Final Four publicity into a lot of NIL partnerships. That had a lot to do with the retention of players.
If May truly intends not to be transactional and pony up money, it'll be interesting to see if any of his players follow him.
His best player, Johnell Davis, is from Gary, IN and has a year of eligibility left. Seems like an easy fit.
Your first sentence contradicts your second sentence. If he was okay with his players getting NIL money at FAU, why would he oppose them getting NIL money at UM?
March 24th, 2024 at 12:49 PM ^
They were at FAU, then had success and gained publicity, and then got a number of NIL opportunities.
To poach them from FAU, I would imagine they'd want money up front to at least match what they were getting at FAU. These wouldn't be Michigan players getting rewarded. Wouldn't that make it a transactional arrangement? Or does our "transformational not transactional" stance have a loophole for this scenario?
Paying kids in the portal isn't a "loophole" - getting them admitted is!
If a proven grad transfer is considering Michigan, then paying him like a veteran is fine.
If a non-grad can get admitted & would be an immediate help to the team being legitimately competitive, paying him like a Corum/JJ is just smart.
And we'll provide some transformation once they're in!
It's paying 6 figures+ to HS kids that isn't gonna work. In hoops they're gone after 1 year anyway. Look at Kentucky for the end path to that.
In football they're free agents every year now, so again a poor investment.
Let's see if Blake Underwood is an LSU Tiger when he enters the 2028 draft...
this was the candidate i wanted least, hope im wrong.
March 24th, 2024 at 10:54 AM ^
You will be.
March 24th, 2024 at 11:58 AM ^
But you don't know your ass from your mouth, so what's it to any of us?
So do we all Jonesy
Probably the best option on the board and certainly the most sought after name available.
I have No idea if he will end up working out better than other available options but I give Warde credit for acting quickly and beating out other programs for Dusty.
Seems to me that taking over an M program at its depth has a lot more potential and upside than taking over a Florida Atlantic program at its depth. He should do great! Certainly looking forward to wanting to watch the team play as a team. This year was so disappointing....
M's best coaches have been non-star former players, so Dusty May certainly fits. Also looking forward to seeing him with success like John Orr-Bill Frieder-Steve Fisher-John Beilein. It's so fascinating that he actually spent a season down Washtenaw at Eastern. Who woulda thunk it?
“M's best coaches have been non-star former players”
Wait, what?
March 24th, 2024 at 11:52 AM ^
Did May ever play? He was a manager as an undergrad at Indiana.
Warde did a good job here.
As anyone knows who reads the comments around here, I have a low opinion of Warde Manual.
I am very definitely pulling for Dusty May here, of course.
As for Warde ... blind squirrel.
There were for or five really solid, and to my way of thinking, largely interchangeable choices, any of which would have worked nicely here, at this particular point in time. All of which had the potential of making this choice look bad sometime in the future. But as any grown-up knows, our crystal balls are all functioning somewhere between imperfect and completely unreliable.
Go Dusty!!!!!
Go Blue!!!!!
After having some reservations before he was chosen, I am 100 percent on board and excited, I just can't help myself!
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