Charlie May details summer experience in London, first year with Michigan basketball

Michigan Wolverines basketball senior guard Charlie May and seven other U-M student-athletes — all from different sports — traveled to London for an international career venture this summer. The group went sightseeing and toured companies in what was an “awesome” experience set up by the Michigan Athletics Career Center.

The other athletes on the trip were Caylie McMahon (field hockey), Farah Lipetz (women’s gymnastics), Ben Feinstein (men’s soccer), Robert Noll (men’s gymnastics), Stella Nolan (women’s lacrosse), Macy Brown (women’s basketball) and Josh Eernisse (ice hockey).

“Our group meshed instantly. We did a lot of touristy stuff for the first two or three days, really packed it in, saw London,” May, the son of head coach Dusty May, told The Wolverine. “And then the next five days, we want to six companies that most of them had some sort of Michigan connection to them. Got a tour, got a little look at what it’s like to work in the office, got to ask a lot of questions and really experience and see what life is gonna be like after college, as well as some more fun stuff.

“We went and saw Hamilton one night. We got tea at a really nice place and had a lot of nice dinners. It was a really fun trip.”

The company that May enjoyed seeing the most was McLaren Automotive, the British luxury sports car manufacturer.

“Their facility is ridiculously nice,” May, who’s studying communications and media, said. “It’s so cool. It’s set up crazily. They let us see all the stuff of how they make cars, what their technology is like. We got to walk around their whole facility. They had hundreds and hundreds of nice cars there; it was ridiculous to see.”

As far as sightseeing went, May’s favorite place was Borough Market, London’s oldest food market. It was anything but planned, but the Michigan athletics group went twice.

“Our flight got delayed like 31 hours on the way back,” May said. “We took off and had to go land because the pilot’s window cracked and we had to emergency land. But we got an extra day, and our flight got delayed until the next day at like 5 p.m., so we went to Borough Market a second time. It’s a lot of cool little shops and great food.”

May and the Michigan athletes are grateful for the experience.

“I was extremely thankful to everyone involved. It was awesome,” he said.

Charlie May’s experience at Michigan

When his father was hired as the Wolverines’ new basketball coach in March 2024, Charlie told himself, “I gotta do anything I can to go play at Michigan.” It’s challenging to transfer in, but May was admitted and walked onto the team after spending two years as a walk-on at Central Florida.

May has two years of eligibility remaining but it’s “up in the air” as to whether or not he’ll use his final season. This could be his last, and he’s taking in every moment as the team prepares.

“Honestly, I’m just personally trying to enjoy every day, whether it’s just hanging out with the guys, whether it’s doing conditioning, going all out on weights,” the Michigan guard said. “I’m really trying to be present every day, and I’m thinking about it like, ‘Oh, this could be my last year.’ I’m really just trying to enjoy every second of it, because I don’t want to look back at it with any regrets at what could be my last year of college basketball.”

May and Michigan’s walk-ons bring a lot to the table, despite the 6-foot-5 guard only appearing in six contests in 2024-25.

“We really do whatever we can to bring the program up,” May said of the role of walk-ons. “When the energy is low in practice, coaches task us with trying to get guys going.

“We play a lot of defensive drills, trying to get guys accurate looks of what it’s gonna be like. So, we gotta go out there, whether it’s just bringing energy, getting water, playing defense. Whenever we need to jump in drills offensively, fill in. We just always gotta stay ready.

“We really just try to do whatever it takes to help the team win. That’s what we’re there for, on and off the court.”

Dusty and Charlie aren’t the only two Mays in the Michigan program. Rising sophomore Eli May is a manager, too, which has allowed the family to spend more time together in the game of basketball.

“It’s really cool,” Charlie said. “It’s definitely a fun experience. I’ve gotten a lot closer with my little brother, because he was in high school my first two years of college and I was away from him for a couple of years.

“But it’s been great being able to see him in the real world a little bit, I guess, in college, and see him older and to spend a lot more time with him, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

Charlie even admitted, with a laugh, that Eli is “doing a good job, for sure.”

May described his first season as a player at Michigan as a “great” experience, and he has two favorite moments.

“One being the [graduate guard] Nimari Burnett buzzer beater against Rutgers,” he said. That was the first walk-off buzzer beater I’ve been a part of in college, and Nimari is one of my favorite people. He’s a great guy, great teammate, so I was extremely happy for him to hit that shot and get us that win.

“And then the so-called ‘[senior guard] Roddy Gayle game’ against Texas A&M. Twenty-seven points to go to the Sweet 16 — that was one of the greatest days of my life.”

With the team Michigan has for the 2025-26 season, there may be more great days ahead. One thing’s for sure: May will be present and enjoying them.