Michigan assistant Drew Williamson reveals 'the most incredible thing' about Dusty May

Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Dusty May famously said at his introductory press conference that he doesn’t have hobbies. Coaches across the country spend their minimal free time golfing, attending horse races, fishing or enjoying other activities. Surely May has dabbled in interests outside of basketball, but coaching the sport is what he loves to do.

Perhaps ‘learning’ — about leadership, coaching, etc. — qualifies as May’s hobby.

New Michigan assistant coach and director of player development Drew Williamson has seen it up close and personal, having worked for May at Florida Atlantic the previous three seasons.

“The biggest thing for me is how he’s always trying to learn something new. It’s the most incredible thing,” Williamson said. “You watch, and he’s very, very poised and under control all the time, so I always look at him as he has stuff figured out. But when I came in the office every morning at FAU, he would be there at 7, and he’s ready a book or listening to a podcast, something new.

“I’m like, ‘Man, how much are you going to learn?’ But he’s a continuous learner. He has really pushed myself and I’m sure the other guys on the staff that we have to continue to get better. It’s always a journey to take one step to get better and better every day.”

Michigan assistant coach Mike Boynton, Oklahoma State’s head coach from 2017-24, said on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast that he’s “met very few people who I’ve felt like I’ve gotta step up my energy game for,” but that May is one of them.

“Dusty is a guy who I’ve had to go to bed at night just making sure I’ve done everything that I was supposed to, because he really brings that every single day — and he’s so positive about it,” Boynton explained.

Williamson has been around it better and said the insatiable mentality rubs off on the rest of the program.

“He challenges you to get better,” Williamson said of the Michigan head coach. “What I think happens is that comes from the top down, so then the players see the amount of work and the amount of effort and how he feels about each day, improving. You have to follow it. The players see it, and then once you get one or two players to buy into it, you start seeing it trickle down to every single player. If you don’t get better, you’re going to stick out.”

“We did a really, really good job of bringing in guys that already want to get better. But once they see Coach’s work ethic, it’s like, man … some days I’m like, ‘Man, I gotta figure out something to do!’ I gotta go over here and read some book or something, listen to some podcast. He does a good job, too, he sends us podcasts, he sends us books.”

For Christmas last year, May gifted his staff members books. Look at Williamson’s text message exchanges with May and one will find podcast links the head coach sends.

“Maybe four years ago, I would be like, ‘Ah, I don’t know,’ but now being around him every single day, it’s almost like you understand the purpose of it,” Williamson said of being gifted a book last Christmas. “Being able to see that I don’t have to know this entire book, but if I can get two or three things out of this book to help [FAU transfer and new Michigan center] Vlad[islav] Goldin next year, it’s worth reading the book.

“That’s his process — if I can get one thing out of this podcast so that I can help [Michigan assistant] Coach [Justin] Joyner out tomorrow, then the podcast was worth it. That’s the part I’ve been able to see in his growth and understand for myself, just read the book, listen to the podcast and you’ll learn something.”

That sounds not-so-oddly familiar to May’s line of thinking, which Williamson has adopted over the years

It’s clear Michigan’s coach, who led Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four, isn’t just “obsessed” with basketball, as he’s said, but also with learning and growing.

“He just never stops wanting to get better,” Williamson said. “It’s unique to me because he’s really, really good at what he does already, but it’s like he’s got something that’s continuing to push him that says, ‘Hey, that’s last year, that’s yesterday. I was really, really good yesterday, but I’ve gotta be even better today.’

“And he has that mindset to where every single day it’s a challenge for himself to get better, but also a challenge to figure out ways to help each player get better and that locker room get better that day.”