On Saturday morning, it had appeared that Michigan basketball was going to have to move on to plan B, as top head coaching target Dusty May appeared to be headed to Louisville to fill the Cardinals’ vacancy.
All of the big insiders across college basketball had deemed it a foregone conclusion, but it turned out that Warde Manuel, Santa J. Ono, and former head coach John Beilein had something up their sleeves. By the end of the day on Saturday, May shocked the world with the revelation that he would coach the Wolverines instead of heading to one of the flagship schools in Kentucky.
On Sunday, Michigan basketball officially announced May as the new head coach as he leaves Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Florida in favor of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
You can read the full release below with quotes from May and the Michigan brass.
Full release
University of Michigan’s Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel announced today (Sunday, March 24) that Dusty May has been named the David and Meredith Kaplan Men’s Basketball Head Coach, becoming the 18th men’s basketball coach in the history of the program. May spent the last six seasons as the head coach at Florida Atlantic.
“For almost two decades Dusty May’s proven track record as a winner, including Florida Atlantic’s magical run to a 2023 Final Four, speaks volumes about him and his coaching,” said Manuel. “We are so delighted to welcome Dusty, and his family, to the University of Michigan. He embodies the values of high integrity and outstanding character, coupled with an unparalleled understanding of the game of basketball.
“With his ties to the Midwest, Dusty has a deep understanding of our community, recruiting landscape and basketball tradition. I am thrilled to bring in a coach who has a demonstrated ability to develop talent and build successful programs. I believe Dusty will be an exceptional leader for our student-athletes and a tremendous asset to our basketball program and university.”
“The University of Michigan is among the elite institutions in the world and it is both an honor and privilege to be named its head men’s basketball coach,” said May. “This is a dream come true for me, my wife Anna, and my boys Jack, Charlie and Eli. I want to offer my thanks to President Santa Ono, Athletics Director Warde Manuel and the U-M Board of Regents for this opportunity.
“None of this would be possible, however, without the tremendous people at Florida Atlantic University. They embraced and supported me, as well as my family, from the minute I walked on campus. I can’t thank my players, my staff, the administration and the entire Boca Raton community enough. We made memories at FAU that will last a lifetime.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, however, I am deeply committed to reigniting the proud tradition of Michigan Basketball. I can’t wait to get started.”
May agreed to a five-year deal, with an average value of $3.75 million annually.
During his six straight winning seasons in Boca Raton, Fla. (2018-24), May captured Florida Atlantic’s first regular-season and tournament championships while playing in Conference USA in 2023. He compiled a program record 126 wins and helped the Owls make a run to the 2023 NCAA Final Four.
Prior to earning his first head coaching job at Florida Atlantic, May served as an assistant under Mike White for seven years with stints at Florida (2015-18) and Louisiana Tech (2011-15). Before working under White, May was an assistant under Kerry Rupp at Louisiana Tech for two seasons (2009-11).
May started his coaching career at Eastern Michigan (2005-06) with Charlies Ramsey, before heading to Murray State (2006-07) to work under Billy Kennedy. Before joining Louisiana Tech, May spent two seasons with Mike Davis at UAB (2007-09).
Before embarking into full-time coaching, May spent three seasons at his alma mater, Indiana. After two seasons as the program’s video coordinator (2002-04), he moved up to the administrative assistant for the 2004-05 season.
During his undergraduate days at IU (1996-2000), May served as a student manager under legendary coach Bob Knight. With the Hoosiers, May assisted with the program’s video coordination and also helped with summer camps. In addition, May coached the Bloomington (Ind.) Red AAU team, which included former NBA forward, North Carolina All-American and current UNC assistant coach, Sean May.
After graduating from IU in 2000, May became the administrative assistant/video coordinator at the University of Southern California. While at USC, May was responsible for the video breakdown of opponent’s film, served as director of summer camps and helped coordinate the day-to-day operations. He also supervised the support staff, managers and office workers.
May and his wife, Anna, have three sons: Jack, Charlie and Eli. Jack currently plays at Florida while Charlie plays at Central Florida.
Story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire
