Death Threats: Louisville Coaching Search Takes Wild Turn with Dusty May, Josh Schertz

The Louisville coaching search did not technically begin until less than two weeks ago, but it’s been all anyone has been talking about in the city for more than the last two months. One local radio host’s misstep created an afternoon of chaos for Cardinal fans.

As a Louisville native and resident, it’s not uncommon for me to see wild takes coming from Louisville Twitter. Typically, it’s easy to spot the source of the silliness. In the middle of the BBN’s waiting game on Monday afternoon, Josh Schertz‘s name appeared on my timeline multiple times, along with Dusty May and alleged death threats. Like you probably are asking now, I had so many questions.

1. There’s no way Dusty May actually received death threats, right?
2. What’s Josh Schertz got to do with this?

It all goes back to the source, Bob Valvano.

Bob Valvano Retells a Story Incorrectly

The longtime color analyst for UofL men’s basketball also works games for ESPN. Over the weekend he was on the call for an Indiana State NIT game, giving him the opportunity to speak candidly with Schertz, who has been connected to numerous coaching vacancies. Schertz is close friends with Dusty May, who only a few days prior turned down Louisville to go to Michigan, making Schertz a leading candidate for the UofL opening.

With Valvano squarely in the middle of a unique Venn Diagram for this chaotic coaching search, the radio show host retold a story that sent the Louisville fanbase ablaze. During his conversation with Schertz, Valvano says May turned down the job in part because he received death threats from Cardinal fans. His cavalier use of the term “death threats” was a grave mistake and he failed to immediately identify that he mischaracterized the conversation between May and Schertz.

Tim Sullivan actually caught up with Dusty May to try to clear the air. The following is a thread the former Courier-Journal columnist posted on Twitter.

Dusty May and Indiana State coach Josh Schertz are close friends. According to May, what Schertz told Bob Valvano was, jokingly, “If the Louisville fans aren’t excited about Dusty May, then they sure as heck wouldn’t be excited about him. He’d be a dead man walking.”

Bob Valvano said on his radio show today that Schertz told him May had received death threats and might have taken the Michigan job as a result. Tonight, Valvano said, “That (death threats) was a phrase that was used in the course of the conversation. Maybe I said it. . .”

Valvano continued: “Maybe he (Schertz) said he (May) was really not comfortable with the kind of response he got (from Louisville fans) and I said he was getting death threats and everything. In hindsight, maybe I brought it up.”

More Valvano: “It was such an inconsequential part of the conversation. If I said it, he didn’t stop me. If he said it, I didn’t stop him. Cause neither of us thought it was that big a deal. . .but it’s got a life of its own now.”

More Valvano: “I hope I haven’t hurt Josh’s candidacy to get the (Louisville) job. i really want him to get it. i think he’s the leading candidate. . .I’m sick to my stomach that that’s taken on a life of its own.”

May clarified that he has not received any death threats to his knowledge. He spent the offseason off his social media accounts. “Nothing scared me about Louisville. It’s just that Michigan was the right fit for me and my family,” May told Sullivan.

That was a long way to say a game of telephone between Dusty May, Josh Schertz, and Bob Valvano enraged the Louisville fanbase, so much so that it may have disqualified the Indiana State coach as a candidate on the day he became the presumptive frontrunner for the job.

Richard Pitino Enters the Louisville Coaching Search

Just when you thought this thing couldn’t get any sillier, a Pitino enters the chat. Nope, it’s not the Big Guy, but his younger son.

Louisville has reportedly been in contact with Richard Pitino after he guided New Mexico to a Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship, promptly followed by a first round blowout loss to Clemson. If you recall, Richard once eliminated Louisville from the NCAA Tournament. His Minnesota Golden Gophers knocked out Chris Mack and Co. in the first round of the Big Dance in 2019, Louisville’s last NCAA Tournament appearance. It’s his only NCAA Tournament win as a head coach at three different schools.

Before he became a head coach, Richard Pitino served as an assistant for his Dad at UofL and Billy Donovan at Florida. That’s enough for Louisville fans to consider a homecoming, even though he has a career winning percentage of .553 in 12 seasons as a head coach.