By Robert Lastella
Robert Lastella will be providing ongoing coverage from Atlanta this week. Be sure to stay connected with Robert at @RLastellaReport on X/Twitter.
A new head coach, completely flipped roster and fresh off a disastrous season usually aren’t a recipe for success in college basketball, in fact it’s a stigma that it’s normal for coaches in their first year with a program to struggle, however for Dusty May and Michigan, struggling wasn’t in the cards in year one.
After Michigan limped to an 8-24 season last year, things were looking gloomy in Ann Arbor, but on March 23rd May was announced as the new head coach of the Wolverines, less than a month later he recruited a brand new roster and now in March he has his squad in the Sweet 16.
It wasn’t just May who helped this Michigan squad come together, his lead assistant Kyle Church, director of player development Drew Williamson, DOBO KT Harrell and special assistant Brandon Gilbert all came over with him from FAU, while Akeem Miskdeen who was previously an assistant at FAU rejoined May after a few seasons at Georgia. In terms of newcomers to the staff, there were only two, former Oklahoma State head Coach Mike Boynton and former Saint Mary’s assistant Justin Joyner, there was a reason why May picked carefully with his staff.
The staff was something May had a bit more control over, having brought 4 assistants with him and only needing two major additions in Boynton and Joyner; however, although May only added 2 new assistants, he made sure they both possessed a certain quality. That quality is simply being a good person, and it’s the same quality May looked for when recruiting 11 new players, and it’s what he believes helped him find success right away.
“We try to intentionally choose like-minded people, and like-minded people typically gravitate towards those who are like them. I’ve said this in recruiting, actually in the last couple days in Zooms, that A-holes don’t like us, and we don’t like them. So we just naturally go after guys who have a lot of character and are great people and are guys that we want around our families and have lifetime relationships with. It’s just kind of happened, I don’t want to say unintentionally, because it’s just the fabric of who we are. For whatever reason, we find guys that are like-minded, and we’re all on the same page, knowing what we all need for each other,” May said.
As for those 11 players, heading into the season it’s never a guarantee that the roster you put together, especially with an entire new coaching staff and 10 new players gels on the court, however after battling through some brief bumps in the road, this Michigan squad is operating at an extremely high level. After getting walloped by Michigan State to close out the season, winning the big 10 tournament seemed like a reach for the Wolverines, however, they breezed through it, defeating Purdue by nearly 20 in the quarterfinals before pulling out a close victory against Maryland in the semi-finals and Wisconsin in the championship.
The new pieces on this roster have came together, with FAU Transfer Vlad Goldin leading the way with a career year, putting up 18.6 PPG and 7 RPG, also shooting a 34% clip from beyond the arc and combined with Yale transfer Danny Wolf who’s averaging 13 PPG and 9.8 RPG, the Wolverines have one of the most dominating front courts in the nation. The guard play has been inconsistent at times for Michigan; however, at this point in the season, Tre Donaldson, Roddy Gayle and Nimari Burnett all have come into their own, with Donaldson and Gayle both averaging double figures during the tournament.
This entirely new roster has put it all together down the stretch to not only just win the Big 10 tournament but advance to the Sweet 16 a year after one of the worst seasons in decades in Ann Arbor, which begs the question, how did they do it? Well, according to Goldin, it’s been a process since day one, and this squad never gave up.
“It’s been happening all season, it doesn’t just happen in one day. It’s like a routine, day by day, and getting better and better. Then one day you look back and you see that it’s clicking, but it’s been a long process,” Goldin said.
Michigan will face off against Auburn in the 9:39 nightcap from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, and if they and Michigan State both advance to the Elite 8, they will face off on Sunday with a spot in the final four on the line. It’s crazy to think that Dusty May has been in a final four more recently than Tom Izzo, but the former FAU coach was there just 2 years ago and in his first season in Ann Arbor, if he were to knock off their arch rivals to earn a trip to San Antonio, he would be a legend in the city forever.
But May and his squad aren’t looking ahead at Michigan State and the chance to make history; rather, their focus is on knocking off Auburn, a team that many looked at as the favorite to win it all heading into the tournament. It’s because of narratives like that and where everyone on this squad came from that May believes his Wolverines head into this game with a chip on their shoulder, and after surrendering the regular season title and losing that edge, it’s back in full force here in March.
“When you look at where we all came from, none of us were in the McDonald’s All-American Game, none of us were in the up and coming coaches lost. It’s probably just who we are that we have a chip on our shoulder. Maybe because of our positioning, we lost that chip, but anytime we don’t win a Championship, I’m going to look back and think I should have done this differently,” May said.
The Wolverines will look to use that chip to knock off Auburn, but even if they fail, the job that May has done in just year one in Ann Arbor is one that will be looked back on with great admiration, and advancing to the Elite 8 would make it even more special.
Cover Photo Credits: Michigan Athletics
