It looks like Mike Boynton, the new Michigan basketball head coach, is trying to follow the same playbook put together by Dusty May.
When May was hired at Michigan, one of the first moves he made was adding Boynton to the coaching staff, after he was just recently fired as the Oklahoma State head coach.
Boynton, who helped craft the Wolverines' elite defense the past two seasons, is now the head coach and is following a similar path by hiring former Brown head coach Mike Martin, who is the winningest coach in that Ivy League program's history.
Michigan officially announced the hire after some reports brought it to light. Here's what Boynton had to say about his new assistant coach with 14 years of head coaching experience.
"Mike is someone I've admired for a long time," said Boynton. "He's an outstanding coach, an exceptional teacher and one of the best recruiters in the game, but more than anything, he's a great person who truly invests in his players. At Brown, he's built consistently competitive teams through player development and a winning culture, and those values align perfectly with what we're building here in Ann Arbor."
Why Mike Martin is a shrewd hire for Michigan basketball
Martin won a lot of games at Brown and he is known for his defensive background, as well as having a fast-paced offense that would fit well with what the Wolverines want to do. His teams at Brown were known for pushing the pace, something that will make him a good fit for Ann Arbor.
Martin could be the defensive coordinator for Michigan basketball, quite like the Wolverines used Boynton as a defensive coordinator after he had three top-20 seasons via KenPom on the defensive side of the ball with the Cowboys. He could also help run the offense or have input on both ends of the floor, as just an experienced head coach.
Martin's teams were solid on defense, too. Even sometimes, the defense was better than the offense, but obviously, there were talent limitations to deal with at Brown.
There won't be those issues at Michigan. The Wolverines have one of the best rosters in college basketball. 13 of the 14 players who were supposed to be on the roster for Dusty May have confirmed they are coming back through an announcement or media report.
LJ Cason is the only holdout, and he is expected back, too. Boynton said when he was the interim coach that retaining the roster was the first priority. Building a staff was second. Armed with a two-year deal, he's wasting no time getting that done, starting with Martin, a coach who has 171 wins and more than a decade of experience.
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