The University of Michigan is serious about winning national titles and not just in football. The hiring of Dusty May shows the Wolverines want to bring another trophy home to Ann Arbor and again, not just one thanks to the football team.
For over a year, May has been the darling coach placed in every possible rumor for every open coaching job imaginable. Leading a mid-major program on its first ever run to the Final Four will make anyone an attractive candidate, but it is Michigan who finally landed May. And while rumors suggested May coveted other schools like Indiana and Ohio State, he ends up coming to the Big Ten via Michigan instead.
Some may argue that May only picked Michigan because the Hoosiers decided to stay the course with Mike Woodson and the Buckeyes promoted interim Jake Diebler, but none of that matters, now. What shelling out for a coach like May signals is that Michigan is serious and again, not just about football.
The Michigan basketball program has a rich history of its own, even including a recent run with John Beilein. However, it doesn’t have close to the prestige as Michigan football. The Wolverines’ own the winning-est football program in history and while the fans were hungry for another modern national title, Jim Harbaugh delivered that in January before bolting to the NFL.
Michigan basketball will never be what the football brand is, but hiring May shows a clear desire to get as close as possible.
