Dusty May on accepting Michigan job: 'We can win at an extremely high level'

New Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Dusty May landed in Ann Arbor and will be introduced at a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Ann Arbor. Athletic director Warde Manuel hired the 47-year-old Florida Atlantic coach late Saturday night, beating out Louisville, Vanderbilt and others for his services.

May received interest from search firms in the days before his Owls took the floor for its Friday NCAA Tournament first-round game against Northwestern, a 77-65 overtime loss. However, he didn’t plan on that weekend being his last in the job.

“It just happened that several of these jobs were targeting me, and I had more options, a few more options [than last year],” May said on ESPN 106.3 FM in Palm Beach. 

“I would read on Twitter that I was going to this job or that job. And all of that was … I don’t know if it was just for clicks or what, but it wasn’t true.

“So, when I got back [from the NCAA Tournament in Brooklyn], it was like, OK, now we gotta shift and make a decision. I had met with Michigan in person — I drove to Fort Lauderdale and met with a group that flew down and decided after, I don’t know, two, three, four hours that, that was the best thing for my family and my career.

“Obviously, selfishly, I made the best decision for me. But, yeah, it was very difficult, and deep down, I wanted all of them to not go after me so I wouldn’t have a decision to make and I could stay at FAU and continue building this, and remain happy.”

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After six years at the helm in Boca Raton, it was time for a change, though, May said — and Michigan was the right opportunity.

“Sometimes, a different challenge or something new invigorates you,” May noted.

“[Wife] Ann and I are about to be empty nesters, so everything about our lives has changed. We just wanted a new challenge. Hopefully, it’s the right decision. You never know. It was very, very difficult. It’s still difficult.”

May was the hottest name in this year’s coaching carousel, making it impressive that Michigan landed him. May, a former Eastern Michigan assistant coach for a season in 2005-06, said that U-M suited him the best out of the options he had.

“[Son] Eli was born in Ann Arbor,” May said. “We lived there for a year when I was at Eastern Michigan. Just the power of that brand and the amount of pride people had in it. It just felt unique.

“I don’t know why, just at different times in our life, certain things feel right. I told a couple other jobs that this one just fit better. And fit means a lot of different things, but it felt right, it fit.”

Michigan made two national championship games last decade, in 2013 and 2018, under head coach John Beilein, who was involved with the coaching search and met alongside Manuel and May in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. May has seen the Wolverines win and compete for titles, and the vision that was laid out to him by Michigan’s representatives was enough for him to believe success can be had.

“I think we can win at an extremely high level there,” May continued. “I think we can recruit nationally. I think we have everything we need to be successful. At this point, for me, it just felt right. 

“I hate to say, but it’s that simple, because all of [the job opportunities] are providing generational wealth, all of them are providing all the bells and whistles to be successful. So, it really just came down to … I grew up in Big Ten country, and I watched Big Ten basketball every day of my life until I got away from it. It’s a unique challenge to go back to your roots at this point in your life when you’ve raised a family. 

“So, yeah, the feel, the fit. It’s kind of the same reason why I took [the FAU] job. I felt the people here were the right people to get us over the hump. And that’s ultimately what it was.”

May will be peppered with questions at his Tuesday press conference, under a much bigger spotlight than the one he had at Florida Atlantic. However, he feels prepared.

“No, not really,” the Michigan coach said after being asked if he’s nervous. “I was actually telling my wife this morning that I stayed up all night before my press conference here. It was the first one I’ve done; I was terribly nervous. And now, I’m not nervous at all about it. I’m sure I will be tomorrow. But no, that’s part of being a head coach for six years. So, all of my anxieties and imperfections, I’ve worked on. And I still have many more to tackle. But no, I don’t have the same nerves now.

“The roster building, it’s similar to what we were here, where you don’t know what you’re going to have next week. So, we’ve got a lot of work to do. 

“But I’m excited for the challenge. It’s just like everywhere else. Everything is so fluid now. There are new obstacles. At my age, I’m still young enough to attack it head-on and with a great energy.”

May has already gotten to work on the roster and has pivotal weeks ahead of him.