After the information broke late Saturday evening, the Michigan Wolverines have formally introduced Dusty Could as their subsequent males’s basketball coach.
“For nearly twenty years, Dusty Could’s confirmed monitor document as a winner, together with Florida Atlantic’s magical run to a 2023 Remaining 4, speaks volumes about him and his teaching,” mentioned athletics director Warde Manuel in a press launch. “We’re so delighted to welcome Dusty, and his household, to the College of Michigan. He embodies the values of excessive integrity and excellent character, coupled with an unparalleled understanding of the sport of basketball.
“Along with his ties to the Midwest, Dusty has a deep understanding of our neighborhood, recruiting panorama and basketball custom. I’m thrilled to herald a coach who has a demonstrated capacity to develop expertise and construct profitable packages. I imagine Dusty will probably be an distinctive chief for our student-athletes and an incredible asset to our basketball program and college.”
Could posted a 126-69 document over six seasons at Florida Atlantic. This features a deep run into the NCAA Event final season, the place he and the Owls superior all the best way to the Remaining 4 earlier than dropping a good one, 72-71, to San Diego State.
This previous season, Could and the Owls earned an eight-seed within the NCAA Event and misplaced to the nine-seeded Northwestern Wildcats within the Spherical of 64. That fast loss within the event allowed Manuel and the Wolverines to behave quick, and so they did simply that in locking up their subsequent males’s basketball coach for the following 5 seasons at $3.75 million yearly.
“The College of Michigan is among the many elite establishments on the planet and it’s each an honor and privilege to be named its head males’s basketball coach,” Could mentioned in the identical press launch. “It is a dream come true for me, my spouse Anna, and my boys Jack, Charlie and Eli. I need to provide my because of President Santa Ono, Athletics Director Warde Manuel and the U-M Board of Regents for this chance.
“None of this is able to be attainable, nonetheless, with out the super individuals at Florida Atlantic College. They embraced and supported me, in addition to my household, from the minute I walked on campus. I can’t thank my gamers, my workers, the administration and your entire Boca Raton neighborhood sufficient. We made reminiscences at FAU that can final a lifetime.
“This was an extremely troublesome choice, nonetheless, I’m deeply dedicated to reigniting the proud custom of Michigan Basketball. I can’t wait to get began.”
Could is initially from the Midwest — he was born in Illinois and grew up within the wealthy hoops recruiting state of Indiana — and has some teaching expertise within the Huge Ten. He was a scholar supervisor at Indiana from 1996-2000, after which was in a video and administrative position in Bloomington after that. He additionally was an assistant coach at Japanese Michigan College in 2005-06, so he ought to be fairly acquainted with the Ann Arbor space.
Could takes over for the recently-fired Juwan Howard, who guided the Wolverines to a disappointing 8-24 document on the courtroom this previous season and several other unfavorable headlines off the courtroom, together with a highway sport suspension for Dug McDaniel because of teachers, and Jon Sanderson’s resignation following an altercation with Howard again in December.
This will probably be an fascinating offseason for Could and the Wolverines. With Michigan solely having a handful of gamers remaining following a mass exodus of gamers to the switch portal, Could should get to work rapidly to assemble his 2024-25 roster. First up on the to-do listing will probably be to contact the gamers in Michigan’s freshman recruiting class, guards Christian Anderson and Durral Brooks, in addition to a participant who was as soon as dedicated in four-star ahead Khani Rooths, who does appear open to enjoying in Ann Arbor however did decommit shortly after Howard was let go.
Up after that might be talking with among the present gamers who’ve eligibility remaining — like Nimari Burnett and Terrance Williams II, for instance — and see the place their heads are at. It additionally wouldn’t be a shock to see him go after three of his former gamers at FAU who’ve one 12 months of eligibility remaining — guard Alijah Martin, guard Johnell Davis and middle Vladislav Goldin.
Stick with Maize n Brew because the offseason progresses for Michigan males’s basketball.