Dusty May’s move out of college basketball is starting to make a lot more sense.
When he stepped in front of the media on Monday as the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, the former Michigan coach finally laid out why the jump to the NBA appealed to him after winning a National Championship just months ago. The decision had already become public last week, but May’s own words made the picture clearer.
He didn’t say college basketball was the only reason he walked away, but he made it obvious that the modern game wore on him.
“It’s much more complicated than it used to be. I love teaching, I love coaching, I love being a part of a team, and in college basketball, you don’t get to do near as much of that as you used to," May said."So, there are some things that I’m not going to miss about college basketball."
That tracks with what he lived through at Michigan. After the title run, May said he barely had time to enjoy it before the transfer portal opened the next day, forcing him right back into roster-building mode if he wanted to keep the program competitive.
Now, he’s moving into a different kind of job, one that appears to fit the part of coaching he says he enjoys most. From the way he talked, this doesn’t sound like a detour before another return to college. It sounds like a clean break.
May also pushed back on the idea that the gap between college basketball and the NBA is as wide as it used to be. In his view, the two worlds have never been closer, and NIL is a big reason why.
Paying players in college doesn’t turn them into professionals, but it has changed the feel of the sport. The mess, the pressure, the constant personnel turnover - a lot of that now looks familiar to what coaches deal with at the next level. The difference, as May sees it, is that in the NBA he has a general manager to help handle those headaches.
He also explained how the Mavericks job came together. May had already planned to return to Ann Arbor, but a chance meeting in Chicago with Mavs President Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz changed the conversation, and an offer followed.
So while May is leaving college basketball behind, he’s not exactly stepping into a stress-free world. The professional game has its own problems. The only question now is how quickly he finds out that the NBA can be just as complicated in its own way.
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Michigan Adds Another Young Piece To Its Recruiting Push
Michigan football has added another young staffer to its recruiting operation, bringing in Alec Bailey as a recruiting analyst as the program continues to reinforce that side of the building after a national championship run and a wave of coaching changes. Bailey comes to Ann Arbor after a stop at Southern Methodist University, giving Michigan another person with recent experience in the college recruiting grind.
Bailey confirmed the move on social media and expressed gratitude for the opportunity, a small but telling sign of how quickly the staff is filling out around the edges. The hire also fits Michigans broader push to stay aggressive in talent acquisition, especially as the program keeps shoring up its personnel department with an eye on the next cycle of roster building. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Just Got A Real Reason To Believe In Boynton
Mike Boynton Jr. has spent the early part of Michigans coaching transition doing the most important job an interim can do: keeping the program steady. After Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks, Boynton was handed the Wolverines top job on an interim basis, and his first priority has been making sure the roster and the system do not unravel with the change. He has leaned into continuity, aiming to keep Mays offensive and defensive structure largely intact while the team adjusts to a new voice.
The bigger picture, though, is that this is also Boyntons chance to show he should be more than a placeholder. Michigans players have until July 24 before the transfer portal opens, which leaves a tight window to settle the roster and build trust. Boynton has been active in that process, and with key pieces already signaling they intend to stay, the next stretch will go a long way toward determining whether he is simply holding the fort or making a real push to stay in charge. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Recruiting Feels One Elite Finish Away From A Different Verdict
Michigans class has settled into an encouraging place, with 19 commitments and a profile that still sits inside the top 10 on ESPN and top 15 on Rivals. The Wolverines have done plenty of work to get there, too, landing defenders and playmakers such as linebacker Frederrick Ford and running back Tyson Robinson while also flipping Illinois commit Kamden Lopati and bringing along his future target, Quentin Burrell.
Even so, the class still feels like it could be judged differently depending on how the final few swings finish. Michigan has taken some notable misses along the way, and the remaining pursuit list still offers a chance to change the tone of the cycle before the summer window closes, with Dobson among the names still in play. The Wolverines have enough in hand to feel good about the foundation, but one more premium addition would make this haul look a lot closer to finished than merely promising. [Read more 🡒]