Dusty May 'explores any and everything,' and Michigan staff continuity is no small thing

Michigan Wolverines basketball has its entire staff back for a second season in 2025-26, between head coach Dusty May and assistants Mike Boynton Jr., Kyle Church, Justin Joyner, Akeem Miskdeen and Drew Williamson.

All six of those individuals had opportunities at other institutions they could’ve pursued, but they chose to remain at Michigan.

“First, just the belief that we have in each other, but also the belief that we all have in Michigan and Dusty’s leadership and our ability as a collective group to attain and retain the talent necessary to compete in one of the best conferences in the country,” Boynton said of what the entire staff returning says about the group and the program, when appearing on the ‘Defend The Block’ podcast. “To try to replicate and maybe even exceed the things that we were able to accomplish this year. There are still some things that we’d like to accomplish that we didn’t achieve this past season. 

“But also at the same time, guys understand that the time in college athletics is different. Not every opportunity is a great opportunity, even though you may see something one way from afar. The circumstances on the inside of a program really tell you whether you can be successful or not — and we all believe we can be successful here, we all believe we can be successful together.”

While Miskdeen, Church and Williamson worked with May at previous stops, Joyner and Boynton were new to the coaching tree last season. They all bring something different to the table, and they learned how to work together last season at Michigan. Having that continuity again this year is important.

“Everybody, to a person, got a call from somewhere — whether it be as another staffer or as a head coach somewhere outside of Michigan — but we were all committed to doing this thing together again, running it back, like the young folks say, and seeing what we can do in year two with a little bit more understanding of what Michigan is, what the Big Ten is, of who we all are together,” Boynton explained.

“That’s one of the underrated aspects of a new staff is you’re still not only learning new players and a new school, but Mike Boynton is learning Justin Joyner. Justin Joyner is learning Akeem Miskdeen. Kyle Church and Drew Williamson are learning how to work with Dusty in a different capacity now than they were at FAU.

“So, having a spring this season, which feels like unusual because it was relatively quiet. Obviously, there was some movement, but for the most part it didn’t feel as chaotic, because we felt like we had a really good pulse on what we were trying to accomplish going into the offseason.”

Mike Boynton Jr. ‘hit the jackpot’ working for Dusty May

Boynton is in a unique position, having spent the previous six years as the head coach at Oklahoma State before joining May at Michigan as the program’s first public addition last spring. He’s back in the assistant coach role and is embracing working for May but also understands he has a lot to offer.

“It’s a tremendous partnership that he and I have on an individual basis, but that he has with the entire network of our staff, all the way down to our managers, who feel involved and a part of what we do because he’s so welcoming,” the Michigan assistant stated. “He’s open to many ideas, he explores any and everything. He’s not a guy who can only see things one way.

“But at the same time, I feel like I’ve been able to add my own personal touches, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, particularly as it relates to player relationships but also giving some of the younger guys who haven’t experienced head coaching an idea of what they can look forward to when they have opportunities, because there’s no doubt in my mind we have several head coaches on our staff now.”

May’s consistency overall and belief in Michigan’s players, coaches and program stand out.

“Dusty as a leader, as a person is great to be around, because he’s the same every day,” Boynton revealed. “During that three-game losing streak [at the end of the regular season], you couldn’t tell, just as you couldn’t tell during the six-game win streak we had earlier in the year, how his mood was. Because he’s always so focused on the next task and trying to do what’s best for the group, not so concerned about how he feels about how things are going in that particular moment.'”

Michigan’s staff led a remarkable turnaround last season, tripling the team’s win total from the prior year, winning the Big Ten Tournament and advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. It was a satisfying season in some ways, but the Wolverines want to reach even higher goals this coming year.

“What a year,” Boynton reflected. “A lot went on — mostly good, some things that gave you a little bit of … the three-game losing streak at the end of the regular season wasn’t the best feeling we had all year.

“But it was really, really fulfilling, in the sense that when things don’t work out at Oklahoma State and what I’m gonna do next is predicated on being with good people at a place that’s really invested in winning with a guy who I feel like I could add value to. And I found that I hit the jackpot, in many ways, working for Dusty and with the rest of the staff, because a lot of my experiences were things that we kinda leaned on in tough moments and even in good moments.

“How do we help this particular player who’s struggling? How do we deal with adjusting to this game plan, where we had a plan A that’s not working; what do we do next that still gives us a chance to win? And then giving myself a chance to learn from one of the best offensive minds in all of basketball, somebody who’s totally invested in continuing to improve. I think I hit on everything I was looking for, and looking forward to seeing how we build on it.”