Discussing Louisville's next steps after Dusty May accepts Michigan job

For folks in the Derby City, Saturday night brought some shocking news as Dusty May, who was viewed as the overwhelming favorite to land the Louisville coaching job, accepted the gig at Michigan.

May was a clean hire with plenty of upside and certainly a floor-raiser over what the Cardinals put up with the last three seasons. But he wasn’t a home run hire and was received rather lukewarm by some fans and media. By no means is losing out on May a total disaster, but it does reset the coaching search after the program appeared to be closing in on him.

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During Monday morning’s On3 YouTube show with Andy Staples and James Fletcher, the two discussed what steps lie ahead for Louisville.

“Where does this leave Louisville?” asked Staples, noting the lean last few seasons.

“Because they are obviously down bad. The Kenny Payne era was a disaster, and this is a proud program, this is a program that should be one of the better ones in college basketball. How do you recover and find the right person here?”

Fletcher answered that May’s move could signify how coaches across the country truly feel about the Louisville job.

“I think it sends a clear message on what that Louisville job is right now. It is not the blue blood historic Louisville head coaching job. It is a rebuild and it is a situation that is going to take time to recover from,” said Fletcher. “They’re going to have to build a roster and then build a culture beyond that over the course of a couple years.”

That’s a time-consuming process for any potential head coaching candidates, and some, like May, perhaps aren’t willing to undertake the challenge. But that doesn’t mean the Cards will have trouble finding other willing and distinguished names.

“So, I think that they’re still going to be in the mix for quite a few good names. Whether that’s a mid-major coach who’s up and coming who can’t look past this opportunity, a disgruntled coach at another school who has maybe had some success but is frustrated with whatever his situation is at his current program.”

One way or another, Louisville will end up with a good coaching hire, because as Fletcher notes, the fans and school will provide the necessary support to raise Louisville back to its proper standard.

“They’re going to be in the mix for a few of these guys still, and somebody is going to take on this program, the history of it, and then the resources that are coming behind it, because this fanbase is ready to get back to winning. You know they’re motivated to give the coach whatever he needs to find success.”