ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan, coming off a national championship in basketball, suddenly had a coaching search no one seemed to see coming.
Athletic director Warde Manuel didn't take much time to make a move.
Mike Boynton was promoted to interim coach to replace Dusty May, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been announced.
May
and the Dallas Mavericks are finalizing a contract for him to make the jump to the NBA, another person with knowledge of the deal told the AP. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn’t completed.
Manuel chose to give Boynton, a two-year assistant under May and a former Oklahoma State coach, another chance to lead a program.
The school is hoping continuity will help convince players on the roster to stay out of the transfer portal.
Boynton recruited Cade Cunningham to play for the Cowboys in 2020 even though they were facing NCAA penalties from rule violations under a former assistant coach.
“There’s not a lot of coaches that would say, 'Do what you want to do, I’m going to help you if you want to leave,'" Cunningham said at the time. He went on to be drafted No. 1 by the Detroit Pistons in 2021.
Two years ago, Boynton was fired with a 119-109 record over seven seasons.
May said during the NCAA Tournament that his top assistant should get another shot.
“He’s an elite basketball coach,” May said in April. “He did a really good job at Oklahoma State, especially considering the circumstances."
The 44-year-old Boynton, who is from New York, previously was an assistant with the Cowboys and Stephen F. Austin under current Illinois coach Brad Underwood.
Just days after winning the national championship, Manuel said during a celebration at the school that he reached an agreement with May that would keep him under contract for many years to come.
Two months later, May bounced.
And, no one seemed to see it coming.
“I was shocked,” All-America forward Yaxel Lendeborg said, a day before he was expected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft. “I almost fell to my knees.”
Even though May seemed to embrace the new era of college athletics that features freedom of movement with the transfer portal and the ability for athletes to make money on their name, image and likeness, he might have been drawn to the NBA where his role is to coach while others handle the business side of the franchise.
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.
“I think for all of those Michigan fans, they have nothing to worry about," May said on “The Rich Eisen Show" in April.
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.
In addition to losing May after two seasons, Michigan will be without three players projected to be first-round picks in the NBA draft on Tuesday night.
If Michigan does not name a permanent head coach within 30 days, players on the roster will have a 15-day window to transfer.
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 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.
Little did they know, May would also be working in the league next season.
“I’m happy for him,” Mara said. “Obviously, I don’t think anyone expected it or knew about it. I had no idea.”
May 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.
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AP Basketball Writers Tim Reynolds and Brian Mahoney in Miami and New York and AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas 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
