Dusty May

Dusty May is recognized in the basketball coaching community for his progression from student manager to NCAA national champion and head coach of the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. May began his career as a student manager at Indiana University under head coach Bob Knight, where he gained experience in scouting, video operations, and player development. After graduating, he held video and administrative roles at the University of Southern California and Indiana University before accepting his first assistant coaching position at Eastern Michigan University. He later served as an assistant at Murray State, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Louisiana Tech University, and the University of Florida.

May was appointed head coach of the Florida Atlantic University Owls basketball program, where he compiled a 126-69 record and became the program's all-time wins leader. During his tenure, May led the Owls to their first Final Four appearance, with victories over Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee, and Kansas State. The team finished the season with a program-record 35 wins and set a Conference USA record with 18 league victories.

May was named the 18th head basketball coach at the University of Michigan, where he guided the Wolverines to a 27-10 record, a runner-up finish in the Big Ten regular-season standings, a Big Ten Tournament championship, and a Sweet 16 appearance. In his second season, Michigan won the national championship over UConn after a 34-3 campaign, marking the program's first national title since 1989. May was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and earned the Henry Iba Award from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association as national coach of the year. He matched John Calipari for the most wins through his first two seasons as head coach at any school in Division I NCAA men's basketball history.

May became head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, succeeding Jason Kidd. He is noted as the first college head coach to take an NBA job since John Beilein and the last to move to the NBA immediately after winning a national title since Larry Brown. In Dallas, May leads a franchise focused on developing young talent, including NBA Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg. Players and executives have cited May's ability to bridge the college and professional games, his pro-style offense, and his emphasis on player development and accountability. His coaching philosophy is characterized by a focus on building teams, developing talent, and implementing modern basketball strategies.