What hiring Dusty May means for Michigan Basketball

Michigan basketball made a somewhat stunning move by hiring former FAU coach Dusty May, widely regarded as the best coach on the market. Many predicted that May would end up at Louisville, and it would've made sense; Louisville is an excellent basketball school, basketball is their main sport, and they have a good NIL program.

Michigan basketball stealing May from Louisville is a tremendous sign for the program; both for the immediate and long-term future. Because my first question was why? Why would Dusty May turn down a program that prioritizes basketball for a program that has rejected numerous transfers, failed to build a good NIL program, and simply prioritizes football more? Because times are changing.

May would not have accepted the job if it didn't come with certain guarantees. According to Jeff Goodman, Michigan guaranteed May that it will be easier to bring transfers into the program. That's a huge shift for a school that has consistently put academics first. But it's consistent with the times. We're at a time where student athletes are potentially going to be considered university employees, meaning it wouldn't make sense to make them adhere to the same strict academic standards that students have.

Making it easier for players to transfer in is a huge deal. Think about it. With fewer restrictions, this year's Michigan basketball team would have featured PAC-12 player of the year Caleb Love, who had committed to Michigan basketball before admissions turned him down, and Illinois All-American Terrance Shannon Jr. Hunter Dickinson likely stays at Michigan with that squad. That's a team that would be a national championship favorite.

In short, it appears that Michigan is going to be willing to give May the resources needed to succeed. Maybe this abysmal season and lack of fan support (and therefore, revenue) made the university realize that they need to invest more resources into basketball. Who knows. But what's clear is that Dusty May has the complete support of the administration and the fanbase. John Beilein being involved in the hiring process only reinforces that.

In the short term, the next few weeks are going to be crucial for May. It's possible that some of his stars from FAU may enter the transfer portal, and you'd imagine that following May would be appealing. May is also going to have to re-recruit both current Michigan players such as Tarris Reed, and recruits. At the same time, he needs to hit the portal heavily and try to land some big name players.

This will probably heat up as March Madness concludes, but it's going to be a few very busy weeks for Dusty May. It's exciting to know that May could significantly improve this roster by next season, and it's going to be awesome to see what he does for Michigan long term.