Dusty May on Final Four Appearance: When guys pull in the same direction, special things happen

If you told Dusty May at the beginning of the season Florida Atlantic would be cutting down the nets at Madison Square Garden as his team advances to the Final Four, he would have told you to wake him up from a dream. Somehow, someway, the Owls will be heading to Houston and continue to compete for a national championship.

While the Cinderella storyline is a fun one, in order to make a Final Four, everything has to be going in the correct direction within the program. May had exactly that, saying everyone in Boca Raton was bought in. From players to coaches — May knows this is a special group.

“Well, when you see a group of guys, coaching staff, players, everybody pulling in the same direction every single day — even when it’s hard — it’s special,” May said during his postgame interview. “Some special things happened.”

"When you see a group of guys pulling in the same direction… Special things happen" 👏

It's all smiles for Dusty May and @FAUMBB as the Owls advance to their first Final Four in school history!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/6zAQ9Yr19F

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 26, 2023

When the Owls were seeded as a nine, everyone expected them to give one-seed Purdue a run for their money, if everyone got out of the Round of 64. After narrowly escaping Memphis, Florida Atlantic got a 16-seed and went into the second weekend of the tournament.

They then faced two of the best teams in the country, taking down Tennessee and Kansas State. An incredible run for FAU and one that will likely never be replicated in Boca Raton.

Dusty May has ultimate confidence in Michael Forrest

When free throws were deciding the game, it felt fitting that Michael Forrest was the one on the line for FAU. He wound up making four from the charity strike in the final 20 seconds of the game. Forrest may have only had six points but four of them were the most important of the night.

May stated how proud he is of Forrest, both on and off the court. Getting it done of the court is one thing but May took some time to mention to academic work as well. Forrest seems to be a great human overall.

“I have pride in Mike, every single day,” May said. “He’s got an engineering degree. He’s going to play professional basketball. He’s a champion and he’s also a Final Four participant. And we’re still going.”

As Forrest was on the free throw line, his head coach only had one thought going through his head. The ultimate sign of trust.

“I was thinking ‘Mikey’s got this,'” May said.