Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg praise Dusty May hiring at Michigan: 'He's a John Beilein-type hype'
After Florida Atlantic fell to Northwestern in the NCAA Tournament, all eyes turned to what would be next for Dusty May. His name was a hot one around the coaching carousel this year after taking FAU to the Final Four a year ago, even despite his 10-year contract extension he signed afterward.
Just two days after FAU loss in the first round this year, Michigan announced May as its next head coach, replacing Juwan Howard. The Wolverines were one of a handful of teams to come up in rumors for May’s services, including Louisville.
But Michigan pulled the hire off, and ESPN’s Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg loved it. In fact, Greenberg compared it to the last coach who led the Wolverines to the Final Four: John Beilein.
“He’s a John Beilein-type hire, in my opinion,” Greenberg said on College GameDay. “A lot of similar traits.”
May, 47, amassed a 126-70 record at Florida Atlantic, including a 61-39 conference record between Conference USA and the AAC. He’ll now inherit a Michigan program that struggled mightily this past season before Howard’s departure, finishing just 8-23.
Bilas said May’s resume lives up to the billing as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country.
“I think it’s a great hire,” Bilas said. “I think Dusty May is one of the bright young stars in coaching right now. He’s the real deal. His offensive concepts are outstanding, he’s a great team guy. He brings the entire university in. I think he’s a home run at Michigan.”
May was heavily rumored to be in the running for the job at Louisville after Kenny Payne’s departure. In fact, reports indicated he was deciding between the Cardinals and Michigan.
That’s why Jay Williams had a question after the Wolverines scooped May up.
“I wonder why he didn’t take the Louisville job,” Williams asked.
To Greenberg, though, May will be just fine in Ann Arbor.
“He’s a good fit at Michigan,” he said.
Dusty May’s contract is a five-year deal worth $3.75 million per year, Michigan announced Sunday. His connection to college basketball started as a student manager at Indiana under the late Bob Knight. That set the table for a coaching career which began at Eastern Michigan, with later stints at Murray State and UAB.
Louisiana Tech then brought May aboard in 2009, and he stayed there until 2015. That’s when Florida Atlantic came calling as he joined Michael Curry’s staff. After FAU fired Curry, May moved up to the head chair, and the Owls hit their stride during the 2021-22 season with a 19-15 record – including an 11-7 mark in league action – to get a CBI appearance.
A year later, they made the Final Four to become a national name.