Charles Barkley on Dusty May going to Michigan: 'When you're at Florida Atlantic, you've gotta take that job'
Michigan made waves in the men’s college basketball world on Saturday evening as news broke that the Wolverines were bringing in Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May to replace Juwan Howard. It took one of the best up-and-coming coaches off the board and puts him in the drivers seat in Ann Arbor.
And during halftime coverage of an NCAA Tournament matchup, the CBS desk crew of Ernie Johnson, Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley reacted to the hire. The overall opinion was strong, but Smith and Barkley differed on their opinions of the pacing of the hire.
May coached Florida Atlantic in an NCAA Tournament loss to Northwestern on Friday afternoon and was reported to be the new Michigan coach a bit more than 24 hours later. Smith couldn’t fathom taking a new job so quickly.
“Yeah he’s proven. Obviously going to the Final Four. Getting his team back to the tournament,” Smith said. “I’m always amazed, how less than 23 hours, you can accept or get a job. I would have to visit the place that I’m going to live or where I would work. That’s amazing that —”
Barkley interjected with his own counterpoint.
“Yeah but he’s at Florida Atlantic. No disrespect, but that’s Michigan,” Barkley said.
He continued, explaining that once Michigan called, it was inevitable that May was out the door. Barkley didn’t make mention of the fact that May was apparently also a finalist for the head coach openings at Louisville and Vanderbilt.
But in Barkley’s own estimation, the role of head coach atop the Michigan men’s program is one of the best seats in the country for a head coach. It’s not a universally held view, for certain, but Michigan has been to multiple Final Fours since 2010.
“Listen everybody in life wants a better job. Michigan is one of the best programs in the country,” Barkley said. “Period. That’s a great hire. I don’t know him personally. He did a great job at FAU, but when Michigan calls, when you’re at Florida Atlantic, you’ve gotta take that job.”
And Kellogg thought it was simply a sterling hire for the Wolverines after jettisoning one of their own from the head coaching seat.
“From a distance — I don’t know Dusty May at all but I’ve watched him work, watched his teams play. I think this is a terrific get from Michigan because he’s an ascending, outstanding coach,” Kellogg said.