Dusty May has joined Ann Arbor after Juwan Howard left after agreeing to a five-year contract that will pay him $3.75 million a year.
Michigan announced on Sunday that May had been hired. This puts him back in the Big Ten and concludes his six-year tenure at Florida Atlantic, which included a Final Four appearance the previous year.
“Dusty May’s demonstrated accomplishments over the past twenty years, such as Florida Atlantic’s incredible journey to the 2023 Final Four, speak volumes about him and his coaching,” stated Warde Manuel, the athletic director of Michigan.
We at the University of Michigan are thrilled to have Dusty and his family as new members. He exemplifies the virtues of exceptional character and high integrity, along with an unmatched grasp of the game of basketball.
May was apparently being considered by Louisville, which will now have to go elsewhere for a replacement in order to bring that once-proud program back to life.
Santa Ono, the president of Michigan, made the hiring announcement on social media on Saturday night. Just before Michigan’s announcement on Sunday morning, May broke the news to his now-former teammates at FAU.
Howard, a former Michigan standout who was let go after five seasons with the Wolverines, will be replaced by May. Although Howard finished 82-67 and made two trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines’ 8-24 record this season was their poorest since 1960–61.
Less than a day after FAU’s season concluded, Michigan assigned May the responsibility of turning things around.
Long before now, in fact, the conjecture regarding May’s future has been a constant for almost a year. Last season, as FAU went on a 20-game winning streak and made headlines throughout the country for the first time, he was hailed as a promising young coaching prospect. May’s readiness for the biggest of big times was further confirmed by the Owls’ march to the NCAA Final Four, where they were just one win away from facing Connecticut in the national championship game.
In an attempt to retain May, FAU signed him to a 10-year deal immediately after the team’s Final Four run in the previous year. This season, he received a base salary of $1.25 million in addition to an extra $25,000 for qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Given that May has chosen to go, FAU is entitled to a $1 million buyout.
For the past few weeks, May has been the subject of speculation regarding his future, especially after FAU’s defeat to Northwestern on Friday in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round. His position remained unwavering: he intended to hear out those who contacted and then determine what was best.
It seems that Michigan extended to him an offer that he was unable to refuse.
College basketball has a lot of movement. Simply click Twitter to view, May remarked following FAU’s Friday defeat. We don’t know what our locker room’s next plans are for anyone. I adore my time at FAU. That’s all—I enjoy mentoring these guys.
