Dusty May’s exit from the Michigan Wolverines to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks lit up sports headlines on Monday, leaving fans and analysts reeling. With May gone, the team will need to pivot after winning it all in April. The players will also be severely impacted by the change as soon as the same day, according to one analyst.
CBS Sports’ Director of Basketball Scouting, Adam Finkelstein, expressed a belief that other teams were jumping at the chance to lure May’s former players. He also underlined how the NCAA rules would allow those players to jump ship, provided they follow the required waiting guidelines.
“Remember all those players on this roster, and this is a loaded roster, those players now have an opportunity to go back into the portal. They have to wait five days until after the new head coach is named, but here’s the reality. That’s a formality. If you don’t think those players, their phones and their agents’ phones, are ringing off the hook right now, you’re kidding yourself.
“You hope for Michigan that they knew this was coming and had a contingency plan in place and ready to go right away, because otherwise, you could have a lot of defections before next season.”
May went 37-3 in his final season with Michigan, which followed a 27-10 run in 2024. Overall, the coach went 64-13, made two tournament appearances, and brought the team a championship.
Dusty May-less Michigan Wolverines Under Pressure To Fast-Track Coaching Search
The longer Michigan waits to name its new head coach, the more time the program leaves its players to consider alternate options. The window for players to leave will only be open for 15 days following the next head coach announcement, so if the next head coach is announced in the next few days, the team logically would leave its players less time to exit.
However, not just any head coach will work, as the players will have reason to leave faster if the new coach is someone without a qualified resume.
If the Wolverines won’t or can’t hire a top internal candidate, then an external hire will be necessary. Some potential early candidates could be Hubert Davis, Greg McDermott, and Thad Matta. All three candidates are available and have been to the tournament multiple times. It might take a candidate like that to keep the championship roster intact.
Considering the enviable roster, expect plenty of interested candidates. It will be up to the Wolverines to clean it up.
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