Tag: Dusty May

USC men’s basketball experiences its first Big Ten road atmosphere

USC absorbed a road atmosphere in an unexpected Big Ten location.

On Saturday evening against Michigan, USC men’s basketball experienced a Big Ten road atmosphere for the first time.

The Michigan fans were loud throughout the game. They cheered after their team’s baskets, and made noise when the Trojans were at the free throw line. Chants of “Let’s go Blue!” and “It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine!” rang throughout the arena.

There was just one problem: The game was played at Galen Center in Los Angeles, more than 2,000 miles from USC’s campus.

The good news is that the fans came out in full force on Saturday. The announced attendance for USC-Michigan was 7,075, by far the highest for a Trojans home game this season.

The bad news for the Trojans is that at least half—if not more—of those were Michigan fans. In their first Big Ten home game against a non-former Pac-12 opponent, USC fans were outnumbered by the opposition in their own building.

Obviously, there are several things that should be noted. Michigan has a huge alumni network in Los Angeles. The game also took place during the middle of USC’s winter break, meaning that many students were not yet back on campus.

But still, to see the Trojans playing what felt like an away game in their own building was alarming. Hopefully it will serve as a wake up call to USC fans that this isn’t the Pac-12 anymore, and that they need to show out for each and every game.

What Michigan head coach Dusty May said after win over Wisconsin

What Michigan head coach Dusty May said after narrow win over Wisconsin

Michigan head coach Dusty May addressed the media following the Wolverines’ 67-64 win over Wisconsin on Tuesday.

May, who took over the Wolverines’ head coaching responsibility this spring after Juwan Howard was fired, secured his first career Big Ten win as Michigan’s head coach vs. the Badgers. He previously coached at Florida Atlantic — and took the Owls to the Final Four in 2022-23 in his fifth season at the helm

To steal the victory over Wisconsin, May turned to his two-headed attack of big men Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin. Wolf, who finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and a team-best five assists, primarily orchestrated the Wolverines’ offense in the fourth quarter.

“He really is a guard in a 7-footer’s body,” May said. “The way he dribbles, the way he shoots it, the way he can create space. As the games have boiled down, we’re trying to figure out what’s our best plan of attack in the half court. That, in a small sample size, had been a really efficient attack for us. So we started trying to get everyone more aware of it… Danny wasn’t trying to hit home runs, he was just making the right play… he created the advantage.”

Goldin also played a monumental role. The 7-footer scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half, including the final six points for Michigan.

“I think he picks his spots really well,” May said of Goldin. “Obviously he’s so big and strong around the rim. Offensively, when you have the hands that he has and you’re such a big target, we’ve got to find ways to continue to get him the ball. He played at a very efficient rate, and I think he had a few that didn’t drop that we expect to go in moving forward.”

In preparation for the Badgers, May focused on Wisconsin wings John Blackwell and John Tonje. The two account for more than 37 points per appearance for UW and generate countless opportunities at the free throw line.

By keeping the two from exploding offensively, the Badgers turned to others to create from deep. Greg Gard’s seven other rotational pieces went a combined 3-21 from deep in the loss.

“Blackwell and Tonje, they shoot the three off the bounce, off the catch, they get downhill and when you reach, they make you pay,” May said. “I thought they both found different ways to impact the game. We took a calculated risk to plug a bit more off the big guys, and they didn’t knock them down tonight. Also, because we were going at them a little bit defensively, maybe they didn’t have quite the legs. I’m not sure. Our game plan was to keep those two off the free throw line and try to limit their three-point shots.”

Michigan now moves to 7-1 on the season and will likely wind up in the next installation of the AP Poll. Wisconsin, meanwhile, falls to 8-1. It is back in action on Saturday against No. 5 Marquette.

What Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said after Badgers loss to Michigan

What Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said after Badgers loss to Michigan

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard addressed the media following the Badgers’ narrow 3-point loss to Michigan on Tuesday.

Michigan big men Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf mostly dominated Wisconsin centers Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter throughout the contest. The two Wolverines combined for 44 of Michigan’s 67 points, corralled 12 total rebounds and blocked eight shot attempts.

Crowl and Winter, meanwhile, scored just 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked one shot attempt.

Gard addressed Michigan’s paint dominance with the media following the loss.

“It was Goldin and Wolf at the rim,” Gard said. “Goldin went seven for nine, and Wolf goes four for six, so it’s at the rim. We didn’t do a good job of handling that. We still ended up with them under a point per possession. They had 67 points on 70 possessions, so even with that, we were able to negate most of their three’s and make them have to go for two’s. They did a good job of taking advantage of that. Goldin’s a load, and they did a good job of putting those two guys in the middle of the floor and playing off it.”

A bulk of the damage arrived when both Goldin and Wolf switched on to Wisconsin’s smaller guards. That created an offensive advantage, specifically in the game’s waning minutes.

“When they did the big-big pick and roll, we didn’t get under and jam the roller well enough,” Gard said. “When you’ve got a 7-footer who can handle the ball and throw it up top, you have to prevent the roll coming down hill.”

UW’s 22.2% clip from deep didn’t help either. Wisconsin made just three of 16 three-point attempts in the second half which ultimately limited the variety of offensive looks the Badgers received in the closing frame.

“We need to knock down some threes so we can spread the ball a bit more,” Gard said. “When we can spread the floor a bit more, we can attack gaps and that allows us to get to the free throw line more. I thought we had good looks. I didn’t think they were all great, but typically we’re going to shoot 25 to 30 a game. You’ve got to hit at a clip that’s better than six for 27.”

Veteran guard Max Klesmit struggled mightily from that range. He ended with eight points off 3-of-14 from the field and 1-of-9 from long range. He missed multiple looks down the stretch and is now shooting 25.4% from deep this season.

“Max has made those shots before,” Gard said. “He’s in a slump right now, and we’ve got to help him get out of it. The one before that, the one of the backboard, it’s not what we wanted at that point… But the 22-second one, we ran that and got as good a look as you’re going to get.”

Next, Wisconsin will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for an in-state showdown against No. 5 Marquette on Dec. 7.

What will Michigan basketball look like in 2023-24 under Dusty May?

Getting excited for basketball in May? Getting excited for basketball in May. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Things are changing in a hurry for Michigan basketball with just three players returning from last year’s team after Juwan Howard was dismissed from the program. In the aftermath, new head coach Dusty May revamped the roster through both recruiting and the transfer portal, and the Wolverines will basically look like a brand new team this upcoming season.

Given all of the new players and the new philosophy, what can you expect to see on the court? May said on Tuesday that the transfer additions fit what he’s looking to accomplish and further delved into the overall ethos for this upcoming team.

“I think it’s very conducive to how we want to play. That’s to shoot a lot of 3s, that’s to get to the rim and get fouled — which allows you to set your defense,” May said. “I think out of all the guys we’ve signed, there’s only one of them that has a lesser 3-point percentage than we prefer but he shot really well the year before that and we think he is a much better shooter than his numbers indicate last year. That’s the feel versus the science.

“I think we will be able to play very similar. It’s going to look a little bit different, we’re going to be bigger. We probably won’t be quite as fast. We recruited to do the things we think will produce the highest value shots and that’s what we’re always going to look for. If there’s ever a case for it, and this group can’t do that, we’ll have to figure out another way to win. Like I said earlier, we have competitors and competitors have to find a way, they’re obsessed with finding a way to win.”

So how did he go about finding the right guys who could fit the philosophy he’s working to establish in Ann Arbor?

It’s one thing when you get recruits and bring them into the fold out of high school, as they can be molded to fit your vision. But transfers? They’ve already been molded somewhat.

May constantly reiterated ‘mindset’ as being crucial, but also shared what attributes he was looking for when looking for transfer players to come to Ann Arbor.

“The mindset is extremely important. We’re trying to find guys who are incredibly competitive, love the game of basketball and what comes with it,” May said. “We’ve typically been attracted to those guys and those guys have been attracted to us. Luckily, now, when you look at our roster, there’s always a connection. We felt like we could get real information on players. They can get real information on us. They were direct messaging our former players, checking up on us and making sure. It’s a different era where it’s very difficult to be dishonest and not be held accountable for it.

“The mindset was extremely important. As far as the pass-first and stylistic stuff, there has to be talent, skill, also, we feel like if they’re really, really competitive then they’ll figure some things out. That’s what competitors do, they find ways to win. It wasn’t that we had to have this or we had to have this guy who didn’t shoot this percentage, if he didn’t fit the criteria perfectly, we just kind of analyzed why and maybe he could support the team in different areas. There’s always a give and take with every player.”

Why Dusty May feels like Michigan basketball is ready to win in 2024

It’s easy to root for this guy. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan basketball needed an offseason exorcism and Dusty May certainly played the role of a priest.

The past two years, the roster was a mess, not working as a cohesive unit. There was little depth and the leadership was close to absent, if not absent entirely. Thus, it was no surprise that the Wolverines went 8-24 — the worst record in program history.

When Dusty May took over, he inherited a program not only in disarray, but one with three scholarship players. Stars like Tarris Reed Jr. and Dug McDaniel were in the transfer portal and ended up elsewhere and stalwarts like Terrance Williams did the same. So May had Nimari Burnett, Jace Howard, and Will Tschetter to work with — if he could keep them.

And keep them he did. But then what he did was even more impressive. Through recruiting and the transfer portal, May assembled a complete team with a ton of star power. It’s one that has depth and looks like it could contend in his first year at the helm.

At his introductory press conference, May said that Michigan would not be in rebuilding mode and that they would win in year one, and meeting with the media on Tuesday, he affirmed that he likes the direction his first team in Ann Arbor is moving in.

“Probably more confident saying that now than I was then,” May said. “We expect to win. There won’t be a night where we walk on the court this season where we say, ‘Hey, we need to do this in preparation for later.’ We’ll have expectations when we set foot on the court to win every single night or be in a position to win.

“A lot goes into winning. Coach Knight used to say a lot, you put yourself into position to win every single night and then you end up winning a lot more than you lose and you put yourself into position to win championships.”

So how did May go about bringing together his version of the Avengers? How did he assemble his team?

It started with bringing in the right staff, people who complement him and are strong where he’s weak. Then, they went out and found players that fit his vision.

The surprising thing to him was that he basically was able to highlight targets and secure them, with very little pushback. In essence, he got the players he wanted and that should help propel the team forward.

“We’re a very confident group, we believe in our work. We believe in our principles, our way of doing things,” May said. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised with how well-received this university and this basketball program has been. We’ve also been pleasantly surprised with the guys who joined us.

“Did I anticipate it was going to go like this? I probably thought we would miss on a few guys than we had but it’s speed dating like I said in the initial press conference and decisions are made quickly. I do think we provided a really unique situation for a lot of these guys.”

Watch Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May (May 7, 2024) press conference

This is really, really good stuff. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Dusty May has been on the job in Ann Arbor for a little over a month now and while it took him a while to get his roster in place, May has overcome the mass departures following Juwan Howard’s firing.

From former FAU and Yale centers Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf, to other big players like former Ohio State guard Roddy Gayle Jr., to incoming freshman Justin Pippen (Scottie Pippen’s son), May and his new staff reloaded and got the Wolverines into contender mode, potentially, in year one.

On Tuesday, for the first time since his introductory press conference, May met with the media to discuss the state of the Michigan Wolverines basketball team. He talked about the roster, individual players, goals for the team overall as well as goals for this year, how he’s acclimating to Ann Arbor, and much, much more.

WolverinesWire’s Isaiah Hole was on hand at Crisler Center and captured the entire 33-minute press conference. You can watch the entire thing below.

Dusty May explains planned C rotation with Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf

Was wondering about this. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — He’s only been on the job with Michigan basketball for over a month, but Dusty May was a bit surprised at how well he was able to secure most of his big targets. Among them are the two centers who came to Ann Arbor in former FAU center Vlad Goldin and Yale’s Danny Wolf.

Both Goldin and Wolf were ranked relatively high in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings, with Wolf coming in as the sixth-ranked center and Goldin being the eighth. But generally, basketball teams don’t run a lot of formations with two centers, and not May especially, so there’s going to be some kind of rotation.

But with two starting-caliber centers on board, how will that work? May shared on Tuesday that during the recruitment of both, he shared the plan with them and that Goldin will likely be the main starter while Wolf will come in for pivotal rotational minutes. But there will also be times we do likely see both on the court at the same time.

“Through the recruiting process, we pride ourselves on being very transparent and open and honest. And what we tell you today is what we imagined is going to happen,” May said. “Not that it’s definitely going to happen because the scoreboard and injuries and things like that can change and derail anything.

“But yeah, Vlad I think last year played 25 minutes a game. In a perfect world, we get him a few more minutes, but we play up-tempo with a lot of possessions. So it’s difficult for our players to play 32 to 35 minutes a game if we’re playing the style that we like to play. And so Vlad will probably have around that mid-20s if he’s playing at his best and hopefully, we’re able to take care of some games before the last five minutes so you can get those guys some rest or whatever.

“But yeah, that left us probably playing Danny 14 minutes a game at the five when Vlad’s not in is how we probably envision it. And we’ll play stylistically a different brand of basketball with Danny being more of a five out, a facilitator. Vlad’s still more of a traditional center, but also he’s expanded his game. So we definitely envision those guys playing together significant minutes and also complementing each other.”

Of course, May already has the familiarity with Goldin as he coached him at Florida Atlantic but what was it about Wolf that caught his eye? And what does he bring to the table?

May is ecstatic about Wolf’s ball-handling, his shooting prowess — especially from outside — as well as his footwork. The Michigan basketball head coach feels that once Wolf goes through strength and conditioning this summer, it will help him acclimate that much more to the role that they hope to have him in come the late fall.

“Danny, he’s a very, very good 3-point shooter for a 7-footer,” May said. “He dribbles the ball well, he handles the ball like a guard. He passes it. They played through him offensively. So that’s how we used our backup center last year, Rosado. And so we’re very well-versed in that style of play. And he fits us offensively.

“And so the question was, does it fit defensively with another 7-footer or 7-foot-1 guy, and after watching Danny we felt like he moves his feet well, he’s got good mobility for a 7-footer and he embraces contact. So we think with a summer of really strong, consistent weight work, and speed work with our new strength coach, then he’ll be ready to go. And the Big Ten is a bigger league than we’re accustomed to playing in, too. It’s not as if these guys are out in the Big Ten playing small ball or whatever 20 nights of the season.”

Why Dusty May is excited about adding former Ohio State G Roddy Gayle Jr.

Always fun to fleece a rival. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Though it may not have been meant to be, Dusty May quickly made a shot across the bow of a rivalry, stealing Roddy Gayle Jr. away from Ohio State.

The former Buckeyes guard who averaged just shy of 31 minutes a game last year entered the transfer portal and went to bed one night wearing scarlet and gray before waking up wearing maize and blue.

But what made May decide to chase after a former rival? He says that Gayle adds something in terms of getting to the foul line, and that’s not something that happens organically — a player has to have that ability coming in.

“Well, I watched him play a few times randomly just throughout the season. And I liked his game,” May said. “I think he’s got the unique ability to get downhill and draw fouls.

“Guy’s backstory — and I’ve got a lot of stories. The first couple of years at FAU we couldn’t get to the free throw line, we just couldn’t get there. And I’m reaching out to the best coaches and teachers that I know and I have access to. And finally, a good friend who I lean on a lot for advice, just said, ‘Hey, you got to recruit them. That’s something you have to recruit.’ And so now that’s always kind of stuck with me. And then the guys that I’ve coached that got to the foul line, it was usually something that they had well before college and something that they did organically, I should say.”

More than that, Gayle provides a lot to the Wolverines. In 2023-24, he averaged 13.5 points per game, 4.6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 45% shooting.

May sees a lot that Gayle does well and though his 3-point shooting wasn’t as good last year as it was the year before (going down from 42.9% from deep to 28.4%) he sees a lot that indicates he could be a plus-player as a Wolverine.

“He has the ability to get downhill, offensive rebound, he runs in transition,” May said. “He plays off the pick-and-roll well, he’s very efficient, playing off the pick-and-roll as a passer. He’s efficient with his movements in his games. He doesn’t over-dribble. And like I said, I believe that his jump shot — I know he didn’t shoot a great percentage last year, but I think he’s a much better shooter than that. And, when you watch him in transition, when he had a clean look, he knocked it down a very good percentage of the time.

“So we are excited about him on a number of levels. I could probably go on for about another 30 minutes talking about it. I think he’s I think he’s a special guy.”

Certainly, Buckeye fans aren’t happy that Gayle chose to defect to the enemy, but given May’s need to fill out a decimated roster, it’s worked out well for Michigan basketball.

Michigan basketball steals player from Ohio State

They’re gonna take this well in Columbus. #GoBlue

New Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May has been on something of a heater over the past few days. And you never walk away from the recruiting trail when you’re on a heater.

May has managed to secure a four-star 2024 recruit in Justin Pippen, son of Scottie Pippen, as well as three transfers — all since Friday afternoon. And on Monday, he made a move that will certainly earn him the affinity of on-the-fence Wolverines fans.

On Monday, Michigan basketball earned a commitment from guard Roddy Gayle Jr. Why is this significant? Not only is he a playmaker, but he’s transferring to Ann Arbor from Columbus, Ohio as a former Buckeye via the transfer portal.

The scouting report from 247Sports’ Jerry Meyer:

Has a college ready body with good length (long arms) and great strength. Is a powerful athlete who thrives in traffic. Handles contact extremely well and loves to dish out the contact. Shoots the ball well off the catch with an efficient and smooth low release. Also scores with pull up jumpers where he elevates and can also score at the rim. Most notably, he has a niche as a potent post up player. Ball handling is solid and efficient. Has the ability to deliver to the open man. Rebounds his position quite well and can ignite the fast break. Has potential to be a formidable and versatile defender. Overall has a well rounded game that impacts a game in virtually all facets.

With Gayle in the fold, Michigan basketball has gotten four guards and one center via either high school recruiting or the transfer portal.

The guard from Utah was rated a four-star as a recruit but also as a transfer prospect. He’s not the first basketball player in recent memory to change sides in the rivalry, with Andrew Dakich having moved from the maize and blue to scarlet and gray in the John Beilein era.

Could Florida Atlantic’s latest hire make them ‘the next Gonzaga?’

Can former Baylor and Gonzaga assistant John Jakus keep Florida Atlantic among the premier mid-major programs in college basketball?

In March of 1999 the Gonzaga Bulldogs went on a magical run to the Elite Eight as an 11-seed, punctuated by a game winner over Florida which led to the iconic Gus Johnson call: ‘the slipper still fits!’

The next year head coach Dan Monson departed for a job in the Big Ten at Minnesota, and an unknown assistant coach named Mark Few took over the program – and the rest is history.

While the story doesn’t quite line up perfectly, there are a lot of similarities to what is currently happening in Boca Raton with the Owls of Florida Atlantic.

FAU went on a miracle run in the NCAA Tournament in 2023, going all the way to the Final Four under coach Dusty May as a nine seed. One year later, he too departed for greener pastures in the Big Ten – taking the head coaching job at Michigan. He will be replaced by John Jakus, a relatively unknown assistant coach who has a background at Baylor and – you guessed it – Gonzaga.

Will Jakus turn around and lead FAU to 25 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and cement himself as a future Hall of Fame coach? It’s unlikely, simply because of the extreme rarity that is Few and Gonzaga’s story.

However, a program coming off a great two year run, in an improved basketball conference, with an invigorated fanbase, hiring a coach who developed under Few and Scott Drew, and who has professional coaching experience in Europe, is certainly one that is trending in the right direction.

Many programs have at times been given the label of ‘the next Gonzaga’ and none have kept it long term – mostly because their coach departed for a bigger job before the program was able to grab a strong enough foothold to succeed without them.

Loyola Chicago lost Drew Valentine, VCU lost Shaka Smart, George Mason lost Jim Larranaga, Florida Gulf Coast lost Andy Enfield, Oral Roberts lost Paul Mills, the list goes on and on – and in the transfer portal era the ability to retain talent at the mid-major level is harder than ever.

Jakus is a phenomenal basketball mind, and both the Gonzaga and Baylor coaching trees are rife with successful names – like Tommy Lloyd, Jerome Tang, Grant McCasland, Leon Rice, and Mills – but the journey to being Gonzaga in Florida will require Jakus not only to stick around long term, but to continue to fight through college basketball rule changes which heavily favor the Power-6 programs.

Perhaps it’s unfair to toss the Gonzaga label around before Jakus has even coached his first game, but FAU has the infrastructure and current momentum to keep it going in the post-May era, and they are a team well worth keeping on the radar going forward.