Dusty May would be perfect for Michigan basketball head coach
There are some heated social media debates about the state of the Michigan basketball program and who should be the next head coach.
Some want the Wolverines to make a run at Jay Wright or John Calipari. Some are more modest and wanted Fred Hoiberg or Nate Oats (who have each signed extensions) or someone like Shaka Smart.
However, it's hard to see Smart leave what he's built at Marquette. Other attractive head coaches just have buyouts that are too rich for Michigan's blood. But one candidate who makes perfect sense and wouldn't require payment of a huge buyout is Florida Atlantic's Dusty May.
Dusty May is perfect for Michigan basketball
After leading the Owls to the Final Four last season, he seems ready to leap to the Power 5. Ohio State was in the mix before the Buckeyes hired their interim head coach full-time. Louisville is another team to watch, but according to Chris Balas of the Wolverine, May might be the favorite to be the next Michigan basketball head coach or is at least the No. 1 choice of the Wolverines.
That doesn't mean it will happen though. Louisville is in the ACC and has better NIL resources. They also won't be held back by admissions like Michigan basketball has been.
Yet, the things that make Michigan basketball a less-attractive job are the exact things that should make fans want Dusty May. He believes in high school recruiting. Some of his best players now are high school signees he developed. He's only taken a handful of transfers and didn't take any in 2023.
Michigan needs to invest in high school recruiting again. It also needs to get away from the five-star talents. They don't help you that much in college unless they are the top-5 pick types and the Wolverines can't get those kinds of players with its NIL situation. Recruit the way that John Beilein did. Develop players, keep them, and coach them into playing championship basketball.
May believes in analytics. He also took a team without a single top-100 recruit to the Final Four in addition to winning 60 games over the past two seasons. FAU has never had a losing record under May and that trajectory has only gone up. That's what Michigan basketball needs.
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The Wolverines need a coach who can identify talent, develop it, and keep it, plus get the most out of it on the floor. May fits that mold perfectly which is why he would be the ideal hire and if he is the favorite, I'm praying U-M finds a way to hire him.