Familiar face helped Michigan lure Dusty May to Ann Arbor
Michigan basketball has found its new coach in Dusty May. With the hire, the Wolverines hope the former Florida Atlantic coach, who has a Final Four appearance under his belt, can shake up the struggling program.
During May's introductory news conference Tuesday, he revealed who was instrumental in convincing him to join Michigan: former Michigan basketball coach John Beilein.
Beilein coached at Michigan from 2007-19, making the NCAA Tournament nine times in 12 seasons, including two championship game appearances. Although Beilein left for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel turned to Beilein as an advisor when finding a replacement for Juwan Howard, who was fired after an 8-24 season.
Part of that, Manuel said, included a conversation between Beilein and May directly.
"Coaches will listen to ADs when we talk about administration, how we talk about someone is as a person...They don't listen to me when I talk about basketball," Manuel said jokingly during Tuesday's news conference, via Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press.
That was where Beilein came in, Manuel continued.
"Him and John? They know the language," Manuel said. "His basketball questions can be better answered by him. So it was a great service for John to volunteer."
Beilein, a senior advisor with the Detroit Pistons after a stint with the Cavaliers, didn't come to May's news conference but praised the new Wolverines coach on "X."
"He has great success as a HC and assistant and has worked hard for many years for this fabulous opportunity. Anytime he asks, I will be available to help him," Beilein wrote.
May and Manuel seemed happy to accept Beilein's offer to help out with the team.
"I revere coaches," May said on Tuesday, via Austin Meek of The Athletic. "You have legendary coaches that have represented this institution and hung banners. Absolutely, whatever role he wants, I'm going to embrace it."
May and Beilein seem to have similar philosophies when it comes to building teams. Many of Beilein's teams were hard-working underdogs, similar to May's teams at FAU.
Notably, though, Beilein never won a championship with Michigan, earning NCAA runner-up twice. Still, May said that while a championship is on the list, it's not the top priority.
"We want to win championships, but we want to put fans in the seats and be easy on the eyes and fun to watch," May said during his introductory news conference.
For fans, it's a welcome shift after a painful season. For May, it's a worthy challenge: The coach must shift the culture and on-court product for the Wolverines to give the program a true refresh. Luckily for him, he'll have Beilein on his side at any time.
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