Michigan coach Dusty May — ‘This is your program ... I’m just a steward, and I’m blessed'
Michigan has had its share of coaching changes over the past few decades, some successful, some not. A few guys won people over at the press conference and delivered, some were met with skepticism and failed, and others won the presser but couldn’t get it done when it mattered.
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Tuesday, Dusty May got his shot when athletic director Warde Manuel introduced him as the 18th head coach in Michigan basketball history. He delivered, as many who knew him told us he would … poised and polished, but also sincere. The same people told us to expect the same from him when his teams take the court — that they’ll represent the school well and make Michigan basketball fans proud.
What seemed clear on day one, though, was just how good a fit May is at Michigan. He was Manuel’s No. 1 choice, the A.D. said, and he got the coach who happened to be one of the hottest available commodities.
“I want to thank the former Michigan players, coaches, and staffers,” May said. “You guys built this place. I’m here to serve you and represent you as well as I can, but this is your program. I’m just a steward, and I’m blessed to do that.
“I will represent this program with class and dignity, and that is something we’re never going to waver from. Michigan is a special place because everyone’s pulling in the same direction.”
They are now, and that needs to continue. Some believe basketball is an afterthought at Michigan, but it really doesn’t have to be, and John Beilein proved during his tenure that it’s not. Crisler Center was rocking when he was here, and the Michigan following on the road during NCAA Tournament games rivaled any fanbase in the country (not hyperbole). They invaded Atlanta at the Final Four, took over the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and were all about the program.
It can get there again, and May knows it. He comes here familiar with the Michigan tradition, having coached at Eastern Michigan, and he’s very familiar with Big Ten basketball as a former Bob Knight student manager at Indiana.
In short, he’s the perfect fit — and while he credited Louisville for being an unbelievable basketball school,” he realized early U-M was a better fit for him.
“We have a goal to develop young people and compete for championships, and that goal will never change,” he said. “But this is one place that everywhere you go — and I didn’t’ know this until I lived in this state down the street — the pride, respect, and adoration for that block ‘M’ … that brand of Michigan.
“I’ve never been at another university that had as much pride as every alum, student, whoever I came across has in this place. That’s very, very unique … this is the right fit for me and my family, and it just felt right. I’m a big ‘fit’ guy, and from day one, this was one that I just thought it would match me and allow me and those around me to have the highest level of success doing it the way we enjoy doing it.”
That’s the right way, and it seems clear he’s all about it. Yes, he won the press conference, but most we’ve spoken with believe he’s going to win a lot of games at Michigan, too, as he continues to grow as a coach. If all goes as well as hoped, the Wolverines might not have to go through another search for a long, long time.
