It was painful for Michigan basketball fans to see head coach Dusty May walk out the door to the NBA just months after leading the Wolverines to a national championship.
This past season was supposed to be the start of something, not the end. Yet, May achieved the biggest goal that he set out to achieve in college basketball, or with Michigan, which is winning it all.
It had been a long 37 years since the Wolveriners shocked the world. Like many Michigan basketball fans, there was a part of me that felt like it was never going to happen. May took that dream and turned it into a reality.
And even though he won't be part of it, the former Michigan basketball head coach still believes the Wolverines can win it all again, something he told the team during its final meeting, according to incoming transfer Jalen Reed's interview on the Defend The Block podcast.
"I want to say Dusty came in right after the news broke, came in the locker room and said it first," Reed said. "And everybody was like, you right? Like Coach Mike even followed up on it. And the team kind of agreed and our leaders spoke up, Elliot and Trey. And, you know, everybody just kept believing in the goal."
Mike Boynton has kept Dusty May's roster together
That goal is to win another national championship. It might seem far-fetched, but the Wolverines are still ranked in the top five by ESPN and Jon Rothstein heading into 2026-27, thanks in large part to the efforts of Mike Boynton, the interim head coach, to secure the roster.
There are still two holdouts: Quinn Costello and LJ Cason. Costello is a McDonald's All-American who is ranked 32nd overall in the 2026 class. Cason, a rising junior, is coming off an ACL injury, but was stellar for the Wolverines in 2025-26 when healthy.
Cason is expected to return at some point in the 2026-27 season. It remains to be seen if that will be for Michigan or not. He followed Dusty May to Ann Arbor after committing to him at FAU. Costello is a dynamic 6-foot-10 shooter, one of the best in the 2026 class, so each would have a role.
Regardless, Boynton has kept all five projected starters. Trey McKenney and Brandon McCoy have been projected as first-round picks. Moustapha Thiam could easily work his way into that conversation, too, and Elliot Cadeau is one of the college basketball's best point guards.
Boynton essentially said Cadeau was going to be the offensive coordinator, sort of like how Boynton was the defensive coordinator the past two seasons. On that note, the defense shouldn't be expected to take a step back.
Boynton coached three top-20 defenses at Oklahoma State (Kenpom) and developed the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. That's on top of landing Cade Cunningham, who helped Boynton to his only NCAA Tournament win with the Cowboys, who were dogged by NCAA sanctions.
The opportunity is there. May said it for the perfect parting shot; now it's up to coaches and players left to make it a reality.
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