Dusty May happy to hear from former Michigan football players about program
Dusty May has received no shortage of support since becoming Michigan basketball’s next head coach. That support has not been limited to others in his sport. Earlier this month, May revealed the unexpected people he’s heard from since taking the reins at Michigan.
“It’s been really cool for me to have the former football players reach out and the actors that went to Michigan,” May said. “Everyone is excited about this university, this athletic department and, in this particular place, Michigan basketball.
“It seems like everyone connected to Michigan really cares about all things Michigan and that’s cool to me because I enjoy football, I enjoy baseball and I can’t wait to watch a hockey. I grew up in Indiana, where they don’t play hockey. I’m excited for those matches next year. I think that’s been really cool just how much people all over, especially the U.S., care about this place.”
Michigan is a stark contrast from May’s previous home at FAU. May was the Owls’ head coach from 2018-24. In that time, May led the program to a 126-69 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
May’s most impressive campaign with the Owls came in the 2022-23 season when he led the team to a 35-4 overall record and its first ever Final Four appearance. Now, May has traded the beaches of Boca Raton for the chilly winds of Ann Arbor.
Dusty May declares the Michigan job is ‘special’
The 47-year-old head coach was a hot commodity in the coaching carousel this offseason, with multiple teams targeting him. One of the openings – Ohio State – filled quickly when the Buckeyes removed the interim tag from Jake Diebler.
That left Michigan and Louisville to vie for his services, and the Wolverines ultimately won out, hiring May to replace Juwan Howard. May believes he was destined to be a Wolverine.
“As soon as a job comes open, there’s typically a search firm or a middleman that reaches out and just asks your level of interest,” May said on SiriusXM College. “This year, the process was obviously that that place is dear in my heart. But we still had several games to play, our focus was on the season. There were actually several that said, the longer you play, it can have an impact. I’ve always been along the lines of whatever’s supposed to happen’s going to happen, so I said that’s fine, that’s kind of a sign anyway and I loved it where I was.
“I would’ve been perfectly happy if I was passed over for every job and I was still the coach at Florida Atlantic. But this was just one that was special to me and my family from a personal level.”