Former Michigan head coach Dusty May cited the lack of NCAA evolution as a primary reason why he left for the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks. Despite leading the Wolverines to an NCAA title this past winter and spring, he didn’t really hesitate at the prospect of leaving for the Mavericks.
May claimed he was thrilled to go to the Big Ten meetings to hash out big topics regarding the state of college basketball. When he arrived, he knew it was probably time to go or, at the very least, his time with college basketball was coming close to an end.
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“I was so excited for Big Ten meetings, like ‘we’re going to find some solutions,’” May told The Athletic this week. “I go there and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, nothing’s getting fixed. Ever.’ “We’ve got to stop talking about the stuff that we can’t change.”
May told The Athletic he had no intention of leaving Michigan right then and there. Hindsight would have him and others believe otherwise, but he said he had every intention of coaching the Wolverines during the 2026-27 season.
Now in the NBA, May can focus way more on coaching and not everything else off-the-court that comes with the college basketball. Namely, that’s fundraising, NIL deals, the transfer portal and much more.
May replaces Jason Kidd, who parted ways with the organization in May after coaching the team since 2021. Kidd and the Mavs missed the playoffs the last two seasons after making the NBA Finals in 2024.
Dusty May honest about leaving Michigan for Dallas Mavericks
Interestingly enough, May had some telling comments earlier this spring regarding what was next for him and Michigan. Despite climbing the college basketball mountain, the upcoming 2026-27 season seemed like a brand-new slate, and perhaps not in the best way.
“There have been times like that when it’s been just a really cool moment to take a step back, but overall, I don’t really feel any different,” May said at the Big Ten spring meetings. “I don’t feel like we’re national champions.
“You finish that and you immediately turn to what’s next. We chose to start the next day because we wanted to have an opportunity to be as good as we could possibly be the next year, and timing is incredibly important. The urgency in the portal was paramount. We were mentally fatigued, but it’s part of our job.”
May has been a head coach since the 2018-19 season at Florida Atlantic. After a 35-4 season in 2022-23, leading the Owls to the Final Four, May was hired by Michigan and he immediately led them to a Big Ten Tournament title.
This past season was the icing on the cake for May and the Wolverines. With a veteran-led team, Michigan went 37-3 and won the NCAA Tournament, becoming national champions.
