Dusty May wants to make Michigan basketball “enjoyable to watch.”
After a brutal 8-24 season and the program’s first dead-last finish in the Big Ten in nearly six decades, that would be a welcome sight for Wolverines fans.
What might that look like? Fast, free-flowing and lots of 3-pointers.
“If we ever walk the ball up the floor, if we’re not at least jogging, then the guys will hear from me,” May said at his introductory press conference Tuesday in Ann Arbor. “It needs to be free-flowing — we don’t want the defense to ever get set. We shoot probably too many threes, we finish at the rim, we play modern basketball.”
As for what the team will look like in year one, May said “I can’t say we will shoot a ton of threes because I haven’t seen our roster, but we will try to shoot them because they’re worth more.”
May, 47, replaces Juwan Howard, who went 87-72 in five seasons in Ann Arbor.
May spent six seasons at the helm of Florida Atlantic, having led the Owls to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in the last two seasons, including a trip to the 2023 Final Four.
That FAU Final Four team (35-4) indeed hoisted a lot of 3-pointers, ranking in the top 25 in the country with more than 26 attempts per game.
“Our goal is to be enjoyable to watch. We want to win championships, but we also want to put fans in the seats and be easy on the eye. When you watch us play, you should see teamwork, you should see efficiency on both sides of the basketball. But our identity will be teamwork, passion and togetherness,” May said.
While May wants fans to be excited about the way the team plays, he knows the bottom line comes down to winning championships, something he learned about during his time as a student manager under legendary Indiana coach Bobby Knight.
"The late, great coach Knight used to say regularly, 'if you're competing for Big Ten championships, then you're competing for a national championship.' And our goal is to hang Big Ten championship banners, and therefore, we will be competing for national championships," May said.
May said Tuesday he studied former Wolverines coach John Beilein’s teams when he was at West Virginia “extensively.” He recalled a conversation he had with Beilein shortly after he was hired at FAU.
“He sat down and told me the impact that we have as coaches in college and how important it is to never waver from the integrity of the game, from the responsibility we have as head coaches. So I’ve taken a number of things from coach Beilein,” May said, noting he’s taken that advice to heart, as well as some of Beilein’s on-court philosophies.
He met with Beilein and Athletic Director Warde Manuel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Saturday evening, a day after the Owls lost a first-round overtime thriller to Northwestern. May said he picked Beilein’s brain on his recruiting philosophy and how he built and sustained a successful Michigan program over his 12 years in Ann Arbor.
When asked if Beilein may have a role, administrative or otherwise, May said it’s a definite possibility.
“I revere coaches and you have legendary coaches that have represented this institution and hung banners — absolutely. Whatever role he wants, then I’m gonna embrace it because I’m gonna learn from him and use that information,” May said.
In terms of roster building, entering the program with at least eight roster spots open for Michigan, May said he enjoys younger players and building continuity, but noted this is “modern athletics” and the transfer portal will be “a valuable asset every year.”