Sources: Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May to be Michigan’s coach
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Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPNMar 23, 2024, 09:48 PM ET
Florida Atlantic‘s Dusty May has agreed on a deal to become the next men’s basketball coach at Michigan, sources told ESPN.
Andy Miller, May’s representative with Klutch Sports, was finalizing details on a long-term deal with University of Michigan officials late into Saturday evening, sources said.
May, 47, leaves Florida Atlantic after an improbable 2023 Final Four run and a 2024 NCAA tournament appearance, winning 60 games over the past two seasons — which only UConn and Houston have done.
FAU lost to Northwestern in overtime on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA tourney, and sources said that Michigan officials moved quickly to secure May as the school’s next coach.
Several high-major programs — including Louisville of the ACC and Vanderbilt of the SEC — pursued May as a coaching candidate. May ultimately became swept away with Michigan’s alumni network and its fierce loyalty to the university and athletics, sources said, and he believes that will help transcend some of the inherently transactional nature of the modern NIL/transfer portal era in recruiting and player retention.
May will replace Juwan Howard, who was dismissed after five seasons and the program’s first last-place finish in the Big 10 since the 1966-67 season.
May’s professional climb has been a study in perseverance and patience. He landed at a downtrodden FAU program six years ago for his first head-coaching job and went 126-69 without a losing season.
Florida Atlantic’s .822 winning percentage in the past two years was the fifth best in Division I, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
FAU’s Top 25 rankings in the past two seasons are the only ones in school history. The Owls reached the Final Four as a No. 9 seed in 2023, becoming the ninth team seeded No. 9 or lower to reach the Final Four since seeding began in 1979, per ESPN Stats & Info data.
May is an Indiana University graduate who has had assistant-coaching stops at his alma mater as well as at USC, Eastern Michigan, Murray State, UAB, Louisiana Tech and Florida.
