Dusty May reveals why he left Michigan for the NBA
· Yahoo Sports
It's now been a week since Dusty May abruptly left Michigan basketball for the NBA, and on Monday, he finally had his introductory press conference, being revealed as the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
His departure was entirely unexpected, and according to what May said at his introduction, it wasn't exactly expected on his end either.
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"It was very difficult to leave the situation we were in, but it was very simple because it’s the Mavericks and the people that are here that we’re going to work with every day," May said. "There are a lot of reasons. The very first conversation, I bumped into Masai and Mike in Chicago. At that point, I had full intentions of being back at Michigan no matter what. We had a great conversation. It had nothing to do with this position. And then whenever we were talking about our guys — we had three guys in the lottery — it was mentioned that would I have any interest in this job? My eyes went up, and instantly I said, ‘This one checks all the boxes.’ I said, ‘There are certain criteria for any job that we coaches have.’ Mine has always been a little bit different, but this job checks all of them. So, I was excited from that moment.
"The Mavs checked every box, and it started with the people in the building, the people that I’m going to be work with every single day. To feel like you’re aligned, you’re inspired by them, all those things are extremely important."
While there have been indications that May departed because he tired of the changing college landscape, he says that wasn't the primary reason why he left Ann Arbor. He somewhat pivoted to speaking of the opportunity Dallas presents as being the impetus for his departure, but he did relent that he is unhappy with the direction of college now that NIL and the transfer portal are truly changing the game.
"I wouldn’t say a big reason," May said. "A big reason is the people in this facility, first and foremost. It’s much more complicated than it used to be. I love teaching, I love coaching, I love being a part of a team. And in college basketball, you don’t get to do near as much of that as you used to. So, there are some things that I’m not going to miss about college basketball.
"But I wouldn’t be here without our players, without our staff. I had an unbelievable 25, 27 years, whatever it’s been, in college athletics. But excited for this opportunity and to do the things -- I think we all know as people that you love to do, you typically do them well. I’m just excited to dive in, spending more time on the things that I enjoy doing every day and work with passion on."
Mike Boynton is now serving as the interim Michigan basketball head coach but there are no indications where the athletic department will move or when they will to officially replace May.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Dusty May reveals why he left Michigan for the NBA