Dusty May left Michigan tired of ‘nothing getting fixed’ in college basketball

Dusty May is just two months away from his NBA coaching debut with the Dallas Mavericks.

It’s part of a whirlwind for May the last few months after he left college basketball for the NBA in late June to coach Cooper Flagg on the Dallas Mavericks. His decision came months after he led Michigan to the national championship in April. So why leave after reaching the sport’s mountaintop and boasting a preseason top-10 team?

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In an interview with The Athletic, the ex-Wolverines coach cited he changes to college basketball — particularly the ongoing challenges surrounding the transfer portal and NIL — that he saw as “irreversible.” The Big Ten meetings, in particular, shined a light on certain aspects of college athletics.

DUSTY MAY: ‘It wasn’t an easy decision’ to leave Michigan for Mavericks

“I was so excited for Big Ten meetings, like, ‘We’re going to find some solutions,'” May told The Athletic. “I go there and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, nothing’s getting fixed. Ever.'”

That appeared to be just the tip of the iceberg in May’s thinking process that led him to become the first college basketball coach to leave for the NBA since John Beilein. He’ll be the first coach since Larry Brown in 1988 to win a national title and then coach another team the next season.

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He also noted that fundraising and administrative responsibilities were consuming much of his time, pulling his focus away from the aspects of the game he loved.

“I just spent so much more of my time doing everything but coaching,” May said.

He added on the transfer portal: “Even when you sign, you’re not really signed; to me is the biggest issue.”

TRANSFER PORTAL: Louisville basketball gets Seth Trimble, another high-profile transfer

May, who led mid-major Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023, led the Wolverines to a 64-13 record in two seasons. He also brought a pair of Big Ten championships, including a conference tournament title in 2025, to Ann Arbor in his short yet successful…

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Publish date : 2026-08-13 17:40:00

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