<\/p>\n
New Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May responds to questions fro the media during an introductory press conference at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, June 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Dusty May’s gargantuan leap from the NCAA to the NBA was just an idea during last month’s draft combine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The former Michigan coach made the trip to Chicago with the primary purpose of supporting his trio of lottery picks as they prepared for the\u00a0NBA draft.<\/p>\n
However, May left the Windy City with interest from Dallas Mavericks<\/a> executives\u00a0Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz for one of the league’s most intriguing head coaching vacancies. Last Tuesday, the Mavericks concluded their extensive month-long search by naming May their newest head coach<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “I had full intentions of being back at Michigan no matter what,” May said Monday during his introductory news conference. “We had a great conversation that had nothing to do with this position.”<\/p>\n May is the man who led Michigan to its first national championship in 37 years, a feat that wouldn’t have been possible without his three best players in\u00a0Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara, all of whom were selected in the first round of last week’s two-day draft.<\/p>\n Ujiri and Schmitz bumped into May during the combine and conversed about the three prospects since Dallas held the No. 9 pick \u2014 which resulted in the selection of Johnson<\/a>. What came next was an overture about May’s potential interest in becoming the Mavericks’ next coach.<\/p>\n “My eyes went up and instantly I said, ‘This one checks all the boxes,’\u201d May said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n What exactly are those boxes, one might wonder?<\/p>\n The Mavericks have a new leadership structure under\u00a0Ujiri and Schmitz alongside governor Patrick Dumont. May’s first impression of the Mavericks brass was their desire to be competitive and their sincere and “very healthy relationship.” He cited the roster’s healthy mixture of proven veterans and foundational young pieces, including Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington and Max Christie<\/a>.<\/p>\n Not to mention the benefits of living in Texas, he cited, since it has two international airports and has the benefits of having no state income taxes.\u00a0However, one of the biggest draws to the new job was an emerging superstar in Cooper\u00a0Flagg, who was one of three Mavericks in attendance for May’s news conference.<\/p>\n “I’ve never been in the\u00a0NBA, but I have a lot of friends in the league,” May said. “I’ve studied the game. I’ve been to training camps for years, and a superstar who plays hard, who cares about his teammates, who’s incredibly unselfish, those things aren’t that common according to others.”<\/p>\n Flagg was recruited by Jon Scheyer to play at Duke during a time when May was head coach of Florida Atlantic, long before he transformation of the program into a national title contender, which limited how much May could interact with the high school\u00a0phenom.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n “When you’re coaching at\u00a0FAU and guys like Cooper are playing in one gym, you go to another gym and find some other guys,” May joked.<\/p>\n Despite his status as a neophyte NBA head coach, May arrives with 21 years of coaching experience at the college level, including eight as a head coach. In six seasons with FAU and two years with Michigan, he built a 190-82 coaching record with four NCAA tournament appearances and two Final Fours. He transformed both programs into championship contenders under his tutelage, which culminated into the Wolverines’ title run in April.<\/p>\n New Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May (right) arrives for his introductory press conference with President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri (left) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, June 29, 2026.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n<\/p>\n