How May's culture brought Michigan back from rock bottom

Alijah Martin knows what Dusty May is all about.

Martin saw firsthand how May transformed Florida Atlantic into a Final Four team within five years of arriving. The Toronto Raptors guard isn't shocked to see his former college coach engineering another quick turnaround at Michigan.

"I've been around that guy four years straight. I know what type of guy he is," Martin recently told theScore. "I know how much the game means to him and the development of his players. Just winning. That's an ultra-competitor right there.

"Everything he does, he tries to win. To see all the success he's having now is not a surprise."

The Owls had seven straight losing seasons and were winless in their only trip to the NCAA Tournament prior to bringing May aboard. While nobody would mistake Michigan for Florida Atlantic, the Wolverines were also in pretty rough shape when May took over for Juwan Howard two years ago. The Maize and Blue were coming off a last-place finish in the Big Ten and their worst record (8-24) since the 1960-61 campaign.

Michigan bounced back immediately, going 27-10 and reaching the Sweet 16 in May's first year at Ann Arbor. But the Wolverines reached another level this season, posting a dominant 31-3 mark - including a Big Ten-record 19 wins in conference play - to claim their first outright regular-season crown since 2014. They were also a perfect 11-0 on the road, becoming the first Big Ten school to go unbeaten away from home since Indiana in 1975-76.

Michigan has been a mainstay in the AP's top five since December. The Wolverines have notched 24 double-digit victories, including a conference-record seven wins by 40 points or more. They're one of four teams ranked in KenPom's top 10 for both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.

They play the same up-tempo brand of basketball that was synonymous with May's Florida Atlantic squads. They boast the NCAA's 11th-highest scoring offense, with forward Yaxel Lendeborg leading the attack at 14.6 points per contest. But anybody can take charge: Nine different players have led the team in scoring this season.

Michigan constantly moves the ball, tallying the fifth-most assists (18.5 per game) in the country. While Elliot Cadeau is the team's lead playmaker, Lendeborg or 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara can also facilitate the offense.

The team buys in just as much defensively. Michigan ranks fifth nationally in opponent 2-point percentage (44.3%), fifth in blocks (5.9), and 19th in opponent 3-point percentage (30.2%). Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. anchor the defense with their superb rim protection, while Lendeborg, Cadeau, and Roddy Gayle Jr. smother opponents on the perimeter. May's switch-heavy scheme requires lots of communication.

The Wolverines' unselfishness on both ends of the floor is reflective of their head coach and his motto: "Serve and compete."

"One thing that I took from him is just how selfless he is," Martin said. "He's always putting the guys first, his family first. He's always putting the team first. He always put himself last.

"That is a culture I enjoy playing for. ... You always get the best from your team because (players) know it's coming from a good place, and it's coming from a good heart."

The foundation of May's teams is created in practice.

Martin described the Owls' sessions as "super intense, purposeful, and competitive." Every drill they performed had a winner. The 2025 second-round pick loved counting his victories throughout the week and being able to talk trash if he finished with the most.

Martin also appreciated May's hands-on approach to player development. The 49-year-old was honest when someone wasn't meeting his standards. He was happy to get on the court to rebound and pass for his players too.

May has been doing the dirty work since his coaching career began 30 years ago at Indiana, where he was a student manager for four years under legendary head coach Bob Knight. The job initially required May to perform some unglamorous tasks, such as sweeping the floors, cleaning the backboards, and doing laundry. But it also gave him a valuable opportunity to observe how Knight operated on a day-to-day basis.

The future Michigan coach was an avid notetaker during the Hall of Famer's practices and film sessions. He saw the way Knight was able to simplify complex concepts for his players. May continued to be a sponge at several stops, soaking up lessons from every coach he worked for before earning his first lead gig with Florida Atlantic in March 2018.

Martin believes May's long journey resonates with players and has influenced his roster-building philosophy. The lone top-100 recruit on Florida Atlantic's Final Four team was reserve guard Jalen Gaffney, who transferred from UConn.

This season's Michigan team features some players who weren't especially highly touted coming out of high school. Lendeborg spent three seasons in junior college and another two campaigns with UAB before earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors with the Wolverines. L.J. Cason, a three-star recruit, became one of the top backup point guards in the country before tearing his ACL late in the regular season.

"When you look at his background, it's kind of the same background to the players that he had at FAU," Martin said. "We were all underground, and we all had to work to get what we have. It's the same thing for him.

"It's no surprise that he's having a bunch of success. Some guys like that are just gonna always have success because of how they came up, and they never forget how they came up."

Michigan enters the Big Dance as the 1-seed in the Midwest Region, with a real opportunity to capture its first national championship in 37 years. There's a connectedness from top to bottom that's been just as instrumental to the team's success as Xs and Os. It's on display when players gather around May for every postgame interview and playfully mess around with him.

The head coach has praised his squad's cohesiveness on several occasions, recently stating that being great teammates is the Wolverines' "secret sauce." Martin credits May's "charisma" for creating a positive environment that benefits players beyond college and basketball.

"Guys want to play for him. Guys want to be around him. ... When you meet coach Dusty, you don't leave the same guy. You leave a better person," Martin said.

"He just teaches you about life. He teaches you about business. He teaches you about basketball. He's been a really good father figure for me. The proof is in the pudding. It's just him."