Dusty May on Michigan's final remaining scholarship spot: 'Working with a sense of urgency' but no 'panic'

Michigan Wolverines basketball begins summer workouts next week with its new-look team under head coach Dusty May. The new staff brought in eight new players, including six transfers, on top of the athletes already on the roster or signed before Juwan Howard was let go.

May and Co. won’t jump into all the nuances of how the Maize and Blue will play right away. That process will be a slow build as the season nears.

“We certainly want to establish identity, with the way we play, as far as tempo, pace, expectations, as far as passing and cutting and teaching principles,” May said on the Defend The Block podcast with host Brian Boesch. “But the nuts and bolts and X’s and O’s will come down the line.

“Right now, it’s going to be, these are the expectations as far as work, as far as how we respond to adversity, things like that, how we compete. Those are the things that we’ll be working on this summer, and as we build, our offense and defense from a foundational standpoint.”

The Michigan staff has a plan, but it’s also not so rigid that aspects can’t be changed, or adapted, based on what the players show in the early going.

“We’ll also be studying and learning our guys, because if they’re already really, really good or exceptional in an area, then we’re going to incorporate that in our style of play in some way, shape or form,” May explained. “For example, if a guy proves to be a great shot blocker, than that tells us we might be able to get out and be a little more aggressive in full court.

“So there are a lot of things that we’re going to look at, because we try to really take a step back, look at our best players, what do they do well and what do we feel like the strengths of our group are? And really trying to attack those areas.”

Michigan has 12 of its 13 scholarship spots filled, and the Wolverines are looking to add one more player if the fit is right. They’re in the mix for Florida State forward transfer Jamir Watkins, who went through the NBA Draft process before deciding to return to college basketball, but he’s not the only option.

“Even with the admissions, there are different time periods of when we can get guys admitted,” May said of potentially adding to the Michigan roster. “High school players are different than graduate students, so there are different deadlines and whatnot.

“So we’re being aggressive this week to try to, I guess … we’ve been casting a wide net for the last couple weeks, but we’ve also been extremely selective. There are probably a few guys that we would’ve went on earlier in the process before we filled out our roster.

“But now, it’s either going to be someone that really, really impacts today, winning immediately, and also fits into the group, as far as skill set and what the holes on our roster might be. But we also might look at a developmental player, somebody that can help us down the line and learn and bang against these guys day in and day out. We’re looking at it from several different angles.”

It’s also possible that Michigan opts to not use the scholarship and work to fill it for the 2025-26 season.

“Or we might hold tight and hold the scholarship over for next year,” May continued. “So we are working with a sense of urgency, but we don’t feel like there’s any panic to add someone just to be adding. In our profession, too, there are times when you kind of sit and wait and you have a really potential big-time player that can kind of fall to you because of the situation.”

Michigan creating ‘safe place’ for growth, development

Recruiting in the transfer portal is like “speed dating,” the Michigan coach has said. At the same time, good evaluations can be made in short order. Once all the players arrive on campus and workouts start, the relationships can finally begin to be fully built.

“There certainly are cases of love at first sight,” May said. “A lot of the guys we were able to bring in, we fell in love with. And typically the way if we’re in a situation where we can’t make our decisions in advance, I formulate my opinion and decision, and then I try to shoot holes through it and tear it down and red line it. With all of our guys, there weren’t any significant red lines.

“But as far as the true relationship piece, that’s still a ways away — before we earn their trust and they earn our trust. So we’re excited to see what makes these guys tick, what motivates them and help them with their struggles.

“We all have blind spots, and that’s our job as coaches, to make sure we’re complementing and supporting them in their blind spots. And then as a head coach, I tell the team a lot that I make more mistakes than all of them, so it’s a very safe place to learn and grow.

“And we’re always either trying to get better or protecting ego. With our players, those are the things that, as they get to know us, we pride ourselves on, adjusting and trying to cater to how they operate the best.”