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Dusty May was a first-year assistant at Louisiana Tech, still a decade away from hitting it big, when Gordon Hayward’s half-court shot came within a breath of delivering Butler the national championship in 2010.
When it hit the front of the iron and bounced away, triggering a rain of confetti on Duke, May could have been like any young coach.
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For all the admiration over what Brad Stevens had done to get a mid-major Cinderella to the brink of winning it all, Mike Krzyzewski was the standard for what a great college basketball career should look like. From the longevity at one school, to the power he amassed in the sport to the Olympic gold medals and the respect he had gained even in the NBA, they all wanted to grow up to be Coach K.
But as we fast-forward 16 years, the younger Gen X and elder Millennial-age coaches taking over the sport have seen a shift in what they once perceived the peak of their profession to be. In an era where it’s no longer possible to be the next Coach K, being the next Brad Stevens seems both more fulfilling and attainable.
May’s departure from Michigan on Monday to become the Dallas Mavericks’ head coach has echoes of the announcement that came out of the blue on July 3, 2013, when Stevens left Butler to become head coach of the Boston Celtics.
On the surface, it seemed like a huge gamble. Stevens was 36, never spent a day working in the NBA and had never even coached anywhere but Butler.
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But it also made perfect sense. Not only had Stevens done the impossible by taking Butler to consecutive national title games, he had displayed levels of intelligence in the way he coached, talked about the game and related to people that suggested a depth and curiosity that had a real chance to resonate at the next level.
Michigan coach Dusty May cuts the net down following his team’s title win over UConn on April 6. (Erick W. Rasco/Getty)
(Erick W. Rasco via Getty Images)
When May first emerged at Florida Atlantic in 2023, taking a true nowhere program to the Final Four, the Stevens-like vibes were unmistakeable. It wasn’t just that they were both Indiana natives taking…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mens-college-basketball/article/go-the-route-of-coach-k-or-brad-stevens-dusty-mays-nba-jump-shouldnt-shock-anyone–and-neither-should-any-success-he-has-there-171113115.html
Author : Dan Wolken
Publish date : 2026-06-22 17:11:00
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