Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, a devout Michigan supporter and alum, definitely didn’t want to hear that Dusty May was leaving the program. May, who just led the Wolverines to an NCAA title this basketball season, is leaving to take the head coaching gig of the Dallas Mavericks, per ESPN.
Michigan had a large investment in May and the roster building in Ann Arbor to dominate right away. In fact, May went 64-13 in two seasons after coming over from Florida Atlantic.
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But now, the race is on to get his replacement. For May, he goes to the NBA to chase more success while Portnoy and Michigan fans might be scratching their heads for a bit.
“So Dusty May is leaving Michigan to go to the Dallas Mavs,” Portnoy said on Twitter/X. “I can’t ever get mad when the college coach goes to the pros to give it a shot. I was going to name a horse Dusty Gray. I will no longer be doing that. Best of luck. Dusty brought us a championship. Sucks for Michigan, not the Monday news I want to hear.”
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.
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.”
As far as May’s replacement, Michigan should be able to swing for the fences. Whether it’s another big-name college coach or someone who took a path to the NBA, the Wolverines will work fast.
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