Michigan begins new hoops era with former Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May replacing Juwan Howard
Michigan head coach Dusty May speaks during the Big Ten men’s NCAA college basketball media day Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Rosemont, Ill. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Michigan (8-24, 3-17 Big Ten)
Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May was hired to replace the fired Juwan Howard and take over a team that lost a school-record 24 games and had a last-place finish in the Big Ten, its worst showing in the conference since 1961. May was 126-69 over six seasons at FAU and led the American Athletic Conference program to a 35-4 record and the Final Four in 2023. The Wolverines welcome seven transfers and four freshmen.
Players to watch
Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle, a 6-foot-4 guard, averaged 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists while starting 35 games last season. Vladislav Goldin, who played at Florida Atlantic, averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds. The 7-1 Russian center withdrew from the NBA draft in late April and transferred to join May. Justin Pippen, a 6-3 guard and son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, is the highest-rated player in a recruiting class ranked No. 57 in 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
Departures and arrivals
Howard, the 2021 AP coach of the year, was fired with an 82-67 record and a Big Ten title over five seasons. Michigan is missing 10 players from last year’s team, including double-digit scorers Dug McDaniel (16ppg, Kansas State), Tarris Reed (Connecticut) and Terrance Williams (USC). Gayle will get a chance to fill the scoring hole while Reed’s absence in the paint will be filled by Goldin, who averaged 1.6 blocks a game last season. Pippen will have an opportunity to produce as a freshman.
Top games
May’s Michigan debut is at home Nov. 4 against Cleveland State. The Wolverines will face 16th-ranked and John Calipari-led Arkansas on Dec. 10 in New York at the Jimmy V Classic. May will face his alma mater, No. 17 Indiana, on Feb. 8 at Assembly Hall and host No. 14 Purdue three days later. Rival Michigan State visits Feb. 21 and the Spartans host Michigan in their regular season finale on March 9.
Facts and figures
May, who is from Peoria, Illinois, was a student manager at Indiana for Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Knight. He started his coaching career at Eastern Michigan before becoming an assistant at Murray State, UAB, Louisiana Tech and Florida. ... The Wolverines won just eight games last season. ... Nimari Burnett, one of five returning players, averaged 7.3 points last season in his first year at Michigan after playing at Alabama and Texas Tech. ... Jace Howard, a son of the former coach, is still on the team after averaging 2.6 ppg.
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