ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan, coming off a national championship in basketball, is suddenly searching for a coach with big sneakers to fill.
Dusty May and the Dallas Mavericks are finalizing a contract for him to make the jump to the NBA, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn’t completed.
The 49-year-old May helped the Wolverines cut down the nets
with a win over UConn in Indianapolis, leading them to their first national tile since 1989.
Just days later during a celebration back in Ann Arbor, athletic director Warde Manuel said he reached an agreement with May that would keep him under contract for many years to come.
Two months later, May bounced.
He is leaving to lead the Mavs, a team that features reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg and nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. He succeeds Jason Kidd, who was let go two weeks after Masai Ujiri was hired as president of basketball operations and alternate governor.
It was not immediately clear if any of May’s staff members would join him in Dallas.
Manuel may decide to promote assistant coach Mike Boynton if he chooses to give the former Oklahoma State coach another chance to lead a program.
Two-time, national-championship winning coach Billy Donovan is also a potential candidate if he chooses to come back to college. The former Florida coach resigned as coach of the Chicago Bulls in April after his sixth season with the franchise, following a five-year run with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In addition to losing May after two seasons, Michigan will be without three players expected to be first-round picks in the NBA draft on Tuesday night.
Manuel hired May away from Florida Atlantic in 2024 and he quickly turned around a program that lost a school-record 24 games two years ago, leading to former Fab Five player Juwan Howard getting fired.
May successfully leveraged opportunities in the transfer portal in each of his two years, looking for players who loved to pass because they usually make good teammates. He also made the most of his players' talents with spacing on offense and a swarming style on defense.
He helped make Michigan a place Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. wanted to be last season. The trio of transfers helped the team win a school-record 37 games and its second national title while improving their NBA stock.
May previously planned to reload for next season with nine newcomers, including three from the portal, but those newcomers along with returning players will now have an opportunity to transfer because he left.
Manuel made a deal with May shortly after the season ended in part to keep him away from suitors such as North Carolina, which fired Hubert Davis and hired former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
He likely didn't have a chance to keep May away from an opportunity to coach and compete in the NBA.
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami and AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Arlington, Texas, contributed to this report.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
