Good things don't seem to last for Michigan fans.
That was the sentiment for Maize and Blue followers on Monday after Dusty May left the Wolverines to be the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
It's a blow to the program, a severe one. However, it's hard to be angry with May after he engineered the best season in Michigan basketball history, which ended with the first national title in 37 years.
Soon after May's new deal with the Mavericks was reported, Michigan acted quickly by hiring Mike Boynton Jr. as the interim head coach. It has been reported that he will carry that title in the 2026-27 season.
Boynton has seven years of head coaching experience and boasted three 20-win seasons in a tough situation at Oklahoma State. He is also close to the players on the roster. If anyone can keep this team together for next season, it's Boynton.
One piece of good news for Michigan basketball fans
Check out this article from The Detroit News:
— angelique (@chengelis) June 22, 2026
Trey McKenney plans to stick with Michigan. He hopes teammates do, toohttps://t.co/dSMZStZAvh
On that note, Michigan basketball fans already have one piece of news to feel good about, as Trey McKenney, the rising sophomore, told Angelique Chengelis of the Detroit News that he will be back for next season, and that he hopes his teammates are, too.
McKenney was one of three players we outlined on Monday that Boynton needed to keep if Michigan was going to have a chance at repeating as national champions. That feels hard to fathom at this point. May was bringing back a team that would have been ranked in the top 10 or top five.
We'll see how that changes. As long as the roster stays intact, Michigan should be a contender. Beyond that, it's hard to say how the team will adapt without Dusty May.
May did say that Boynton was an "elite" coach this spring. He talked about how good he was on the defensive end of the floor, was was true, even of his teams at Oklahoma State.
If Boynton and the Wolverines can have success next season, as in making the NCAA Tournament and putting together some sort of run, maybe to another Sweet 16, then it's not that far-fetched to see him get the job full-time.
However, that's a big IF. We also don't know if Warde Manuel will survive after letting yet another elite coach leave, along with Jim Harbaugh, John Beilein, and Erik Bakich. Boynton is off to a good start. Hopefully he can retain others like Elliot Cadeau, Brandon McCoy, and Moustapha Thiam.
If not, the 2026-27 season could be much more challenging than expected.
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