Notebook: May’s history with Oats, Alabama’s 3-point shooting, and the rebounding battle ahead

No. 1 seed Michigan has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, with a matchup against No. 4 seed Alabama on the horizon.

After returning from Buffalo, coach Dusty May talked to reporters about his connection to Nate Oats, as well as the pace, rebounding, and 3-point shooting that will likely define Friday night’s matchup.

DUSTY MAY’S HISTORY WITH NATE OATS

Twenty years ago, when Dusty May was a 29-year-old assistant coach at Eastern Michigan still learning the ropes, he would wake up early and drive the 15 minutes to Romulus High School, where Nate Oats was the head coach.

The Romulus Eagles held 6 am workouts, and there May was, watching the team, talking to Oats, picking his brain.

“We talked ball,” May said Tuesday. “We actually went and spent five days at the Chicago Bulls’ training camp with (former NBA coach) Scott Skiles, Nate and I, and (Alabama assistant) Josh Baker and a friend of mine from Indiana who worked for the Bulls got us in and gave us full access, and we’ve been friends since then.

“And then he goes to Buffalo and works for Danny White, (and I) was close with the White family. So a lot of connections. And then I still go every year down to his coaching conference, and we’ve shared a lot of thoughts.”

It’s not the type of bond May has with the head coach of Michigan’s last opponent, but it’s another basketball connection that shaped May’s philosophy on the game. Josh Schertz’s teams look more like May’s than Oats’ do, but that doesn’t stop May from having the utmost respect for how Oats leads his program.

“I’ve learned a lot from Nate,” May said. “He’s a brilliant basketball coach and finds a way to be really, really good every single year, and that’s one of the most difficult things to do.”