The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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42 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2024 BY CHRIS BALAS N ew M i c h i ga n m e n 's basketball head coach D u s ty M ay h a s m a d e a splash since arriving in Ann Arbor, bringing in an out- standing recruiting/por- tal class that is expected to contend for the postseason this year. CBSSports.com called the Wolverines one of the offseason "winners" in roster construction, noting May made great progress to bring the program back from its 8-24 record a year ago. "Michigan basketball was a circus act last season with Juwan Howard finding new ways to dole suspensions and the team cratering with a last-place finish in the Big Ten," CBS wrote. "The Wol- verines cut ties with Howard and tabbed FAU coach Dusty May as their new com- mander in chief, though, and they've steered directly into a stable environment that should produce early results. "May took FAU (!) to a Final Four two years ago and was 126-69 with the Owls. He hired former Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boyn- ton and a quality staff that should and likely will get this program back on the rails and into contention relatively soon even in a deep Big Ten." But May is not taking that for granted. To drum up support, the coach has stopped by Michigan fraternity houses this fall to ask for the support of the student body, something he did months ago, as well. The students chanted his name when he asked for their help. "You guys have a direct impact on whether we win or not. Teams that have great student sections don't lose at home," he told them. "If you guys are with us, I promise you, we'll be hanging banners soon." May then joined ESPN's "GameDay" the Saturday morning of the Michigan versus Texas football game and spoke about his program and the excitement surrounding his first season. The Wol- verines have an extremely challenging nonconference schedule for his debut year, including 12 opponents outside the Big Ten. Six of those games will be against high-major opponents, includ- ing Wake Forest in Greensboro, N.C., in the Deacon-Wolverine Challenge, Ar- kansas at Madison Square Garden, and Oklahoma in the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C., among others. "We want that block 'M' to be on na- tional television and the biggest games as frequently as we can," May said in August. "And we want to recruit play- ers who want to play in these games. So, when you look at our schedule — I don't think the metrics are out because most schedules aren't released, but I would be shocked if we don't have one of the most competitive schedules in the U.S., and that was intentional. "We want to play in the biggest games. We do be- lieve that if we play a very challenging pre-conference schedule, then we'll be more prepared once conference play begins. You have to be able to go on the road and win in tough environments. You have to be able to travel and play on a short window, a short week, or a long week, whatever the case." No matter what it is, they should be well prepared. MAY SUPPORTS NCAA'S UPCOMING REVENUE-SHARING MODEL The NCAA will imple- ment a new enforcement model starting next year that allows revenue sharing to student-athletes (around $23 million per year for a school like Michigan). It will also include new roster lim- its for which Division I student-athletes will be required to be on at least a partial scholarship. Michigan men's basketball head coach Dusty May didn't hesitate when asked if he favored paying the players. "I'm all for it," May said. "There's a lot of revenue generated by certain sports, and those players deserve to be compen- sated accordingly, in my opinion." Rosters will be up to 15 deep in future seasons. While finding playing time for that many scholarship bodies could be difficult, May believes it's something that can be resolved with smart roster construction. "Not everyone's a star player," May noted. "Not everyone's a quarterback for [Michigan football head coach] Sherrone Moore. Not everyone is the starting pitcher [for the baseball team]. ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Dusty May Drums Up Michigan Basketball Support Before Taking On Grueling Schedule May demonstrated his crossover appeal when he appeared on ESPN when its "College Football GameDay" show came to Ann Arbor on Sept. 7 for the Wolverine football team's matchup with Texas. GRAPHIC COURTESY ESPN