Dusty May’s move to the NBA in June opened a door college basketball hadn’t seen used in years.
May became the first college coach to jump straight to an NBA job since John Beilein left Michigan for the Cavaliers in 2019, taking over a franchise that reached the 2024 NBA Finals and is reloading with reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. For May, the decision came after he had already climbed to the top of the college game, guiding Michigan from an 8-24 season before his arrival to a national title and the program’s first championship since 1989.
Even with that kind of finish, there wasn’t much time to linger on it. The transfer portal kept moving, the pressure to build again never stopped, and the shifting landscape of college basketball - along with uncertainty around how the Protect College Sports Act might alter things - left him with an appealing exit ramp. He took it.
Now the natural question is who follows him.
College coaches moving to the NBA have not exactly been a steady pipeline, and there was a seven-year gap between Beilein and May. Still, the lure is obvious enough that another jump feels inevitable at some point. For this edition of the Dribble Handoff, the picks center on three names: Luke Loucks, Jon Scheyer and Todd Golden.
Loucks is the long-view candidate. He is only 36 and has coached Florida State for just one season, but his background fits what NBA teams tend to value.
Before returning to his alma mater for the 2025-26 season, he spent 2016-25 in the NBA with the Warriors, Suns and Kings. His first year at Florida State hinted at real promise, and while it is hard to picture him leaving Tallahassee for another college job, he also does not feel like a coach who will stay there forever.
With that NBA résumé and his age, he looks like a strong bet to land on a professional sideline within the next decade.
Scheyer already drew NBA attention this past cycle. Marc Stein reported that after the Mavericks moved on from Jason Kidd, Scheyer could be in the mix for that job.
The connection to Cooper Flagg only added to the speculation, since Scheyer coached Flagg during the 2024-25 season. Dallas ultimately hired Dusty May, and Scheyer remained at Duke.
That may not be the end of it. Duke reached the Final Four with Flagg in 2025, then fell to UConn in the Elite Eight after a brutal collapse in the NCAA Tournament.
Scheyer has again assembled a roster loaded with talent, and the Blue Devils may have the deepest group in college basketball this season. If that roster turns into a national title, it would be easy to see Scheyer making the leap.
Golden has his own case, and it starts with the kind of season that gets attention everywhere. He won a national championship at 39 with zero top-100 recruits on the roster, the first time that has happened in the modern era. That kind of accomplishment brings NBA interest with it, even if Golden has no reason to rush out of Gainesville.
There is also a stylistic fit. Golden has leaned into skilled size in roster construction, which lines up neatly with what the NBA has become.
And there is a competitive edge to the whole conversation, too. As one view of the field puts it, he is not likely to ignore the talk around Dusty May being the best coach in the country.
Boston College’s Luke Murray and Illinois assistant Tyler Underwood were also mentioned as names to watch, though more in offensive-coordinator territory than as head coaches. But among the candidates discussed, Golden stands out as the choice.
In Other News...
NBA Legend Just Singled Out A Former Duke Star For Praise
Jabari Parkers name still carries real weight when one of the NBAs biggest stars starts reflecting on the people who shaped him. In a farewell video after being traded to the Miami Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo singled out the former Duke standout and said Parker pushed him to work harder early in his career, a reminder of how quickly Parker went from college phenom to a player other pros still remember for the standard he set.
For Duke fans, it is a familiar kind of what-could-have-been conversation, because Parkers lone season in Durham was enough to make him one of the most talked-about players in the country. His NBA path never matched that early promise, with injuries taking a heavy toll, but praise like this shows the respect for his game never really went away. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Answer At Quarterback Is Finally Starting To Take Shape
After a spring and summer of uncertainty at the most important position on the field, Dukes quarterback picture is finally starting to come into focus. The Blue Devils had to reset after Darian Mensah transferred to Miami following the fallout from his multiyear NIL deal and the lawsuit that was later settled out of court, leaving the staff to search for a new answer as the 2026 season approached.
A graduate transfer from San Jose State has now emerged as the projected starter, and he was granted a waiver this offseason to be eligible next year. Even with that move giving Duke a clearer path at quarterback, the job still has to be sorted out on the field, with Dan Mahan, Ari Patu and Terry Walker III among the players who could push for the role once competition begins. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Was Courtside For A Massive Duke Recruiting Check-In
Jon Scheyer and assistant Emanuel Dildy were courtside at a Nike EYBL game that doubled as a useful recruiting check-in, with 2027 Duke commit Kager Knueppel and another high-priority target, Beckham Black, facing off in a one-point game. Team Herro edged AB Elite 52-51, giving the Blue Devils staff a live look at two prospects who sit near the center of Dukes early 2027 board, along with a chance to track how Knueppel continues to fit into the programs long-term plan.
Black, one of the fastest-rising names in the class, has already drawn a recent Duke offer and arrived with the kind of family basketball background that tends to keep bluebloods paying attention. Knueppels outing was quieter than usual, but the bigger takeaway for Duke was simply being in the building for a matchup that also fit into a wider 2027 search, with Adan Diggs and Lewis Uvwo among the other names on the staffs radar. [Read more 🡒]