The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546004
22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2026 been preparing for this, to go against the best, for a long time." When the opportunity came, May added, he couldn't pass it up. The Mav- ericks' brass was the biggest reason, he said. At the same time, he admitted coaching college basketball was "much more complicated than it used to be." "I love teaching; I love coaching," he said. "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 unbe- lievable 25, 27 years, whatever it's been, in college athletics. But I'm excited for this opportunity and to do the things … I think we all know as people that things you love to do, you typically do them well. "I'm just excited to dive in, spend- ing more time on the things that I enjoy doing every day and work with passion on." HIGH HOPES AND A SINCERE FAREWELL He'll have his work cut out for him as a college coach making the jump to the NBA. It's worked out for some, obvi- ously — Larry Brown (titles with Kan- sas, Detroit Pistons), Brad Stevens (Butler to Boston) and Billy Donovan (Florida, Oklahoma City and Chicago) are the most In just his second season at the helm, May led Michigan to a 37-3 overall record, including a Big Ten regular-season title and the 2026 NCAA championship, securing the program's first title in 37 years. PHOTO BY LEISA THOMPSON/MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY