Last offseason, Dusty May had to build an entire operation from scratch while uprooting his life and moving from Boca Raton to Ann Arbor. He needed to hire assistants, raise NIL funds, and recruit a brand-new roster.
May’s staff came together seamlessly, he recruited a new roster within weeks, and even convinced some current players to stay. May laid the foundation of the program in those three weeks in April, but he didn’t have a lot to sell.
There was no Dusty May era at Michigan yet, he was pitching a plan and a vision. One year later, there’s something to back up his plan. The Wolverines went 27-10 in their first season under May, won the Big Ten Tournament Championship, and advanced to the Sweet 16. They also utilized their two star big men in a way that turned heads across the country.
Danny Wolf averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, playing the four for Michigan in a role that was much closer to point guard than center. Vlad Goldin put up 16.6 points and 7 rebounds per game, improving week-by-week throughout the season to emerge as an All-Big Ten player.
Wolf should hear his name called in the first round of next month’s NBA Draft, and Goldin — who wasn’t on mock drafts in the preseason — has a chance to be selected in the second round.
“I think you start to attract players who want to play the same style that you’re playing,” Michigan assistant coach Drew Williamson said on Defend the Block. “And you look at the season that Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin had, and if you’re a big man in high school or big man anywhere around the country, you’re kind of like, ‘Hey, man, that was, it’s a unique way that they use their big so that’s a place that makes sense to me.'”
Dusty May Promo!
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