Dusty May is the new head coach of the Michigan basketball team, and so far, it looks like the Wolverines nailed the hire. May led Michigan to a Big Ten Tournament title and Sweet 16 berth in his first season, and after what happened under Juwan Howard the year prior, it was an incredibly impressive turnaround.
Juwan Howard became the head coach of the Michgan basketball team after the 2018-19 season when John Beilein went to the NBA. At first, things started off great for Howard. His first season was cut short due to COVID, but Michigan would’ve made the NCAA Tournament comfortably. Year two was when Howard and the Wolverines took off.
Michigan won the Big Ten and went to the Elite 8 during Howard’s second season, and it looked like the Wolverines had found their long-term head coach. However, everything went downhill from there.
The Wolverines got worse and worse under Howard, and his final season was a disaster. Michigan won just eight games, and Howard was fired at the conclusion of the season. That brought Dusty May to Ann Arbor, and he recently defended Howard during an appearance on Andy Katz’s podcast.
“Juwan Howard—he had some misfortune, I would call it,” May said. “Where just some things didn't go right, and then he had the health issue. Juwan Howard can coach basketball. His first couple of years, they were as good as any team in the country and he was National Coach of the Year. Some things happened, it didn't work out, but his love for Michigan is much much deeper than that team (that he coached) or that current moment. And it's been like that across the board. The people who are associated with Michigan take a lot of pride in the brand and the block M, and it's our responsibility to make all of those guys proud with the way we compete and play.”
Now, Juwan Howard is back in the NBA coaching with the Brooklyn Nets. The Michigan basketball team seems to have knocked it out of the park with the Dusty May hire, and the future looks bright as the Wolverines have some of the best odds in the country to make the Final Four next season.
