In seven calendar days, Michigan men’s basketball coach Dusty May landed two four-star recruits in guard Winters Grady and New Zealand forward Oscar Goodman, while securing his first unofficial win over Oakland University by a whopping 44-point margin.
There’s momentum in Ann Arbor in a way that there hasn’t been for a while. The Wolverines are also making in-roads with five-star prospects Trey McKenney and Xavion Staton, both of whom are expected to announce their decisions early in November. And still, believe it or not, May’s first season officially begins on November 4th.
“We like where we are,” May said of Michigan’s recruiting efforts. “We’re pleased, we have a staff that’s very connected, and they work really, really well together. Then, you factor in how aggressive our players are in recruiting and wanting good players to join this program. It’s been fun to be in the recruiting foxhole with this group.”
It’s a blistering pace. Formerly unimaginable for college basketball, May’s packed docket can indeed be partially attributed to a new coach seeking to capitalize on early momentum, but more than that, May’s schedule has become the norm for high-major teams seeking national relevance. Coming off a packed “offseason” that saw May recruit eight new players to the program in a matter of weeks, the work to maintain college basketball has become a year-round marathon.
“I take pride on always planning pretty far in advance,” May said on October 18 at Michigan’s Pro and Media Day. “Security is important to me. You just kind of have to shift the way you think and realize you’re not going to have as much control a year, two years, three years in advance like you did in the past. You simply have to try to enjoy things you can’t control.”