Way of Champions Podcast #479 Dusty May, 2026 NCAA Champion Coach of Michigan Men's Basketball, on Creating a Culture of Error in and a Player Centered Environment in Practice, His Non Negotiables, and the Importance of Love in Coaching
Use Sound Bites To Communicate Under Pressure
- Insight: Teach in short sound bites so players and staff process information under pressure.
- Dusty recalls Bobby Knight correcting verbose score reports to concise 'red five, white four, gray nine' as a model for clarity.
Use Kaizen And Shared Learning To Improve Staff
- Do practice Kaizen: pursue marginal gains daily and share learning across staff.
- Dusty's staff shares articles, quotes, and projects; a GA led assistants through ideas, showing continuous internal development.
Refuse Entitlement By Scheduling Relentless Challenges
- Do avoid living in past wins; treat each season as a new journey and schedule tough opponents.
- Dusty refuses to lean on last year's title, uses brutal scheduling to prepare for March and keep hunger alive.
This week we welcome Dusty May, Head Coach of the 2026 NCAA Champion Michigan Wolverines Men's Basketball team. He was hired in 2024 by Michigan and immediately turned the program around winning 18 more games than 2023 and leading the Wolverines back to the top of the Big 10 and to the NCAA Sweet 16. In 2026 they went 37-3 and defeated UConn in the NCAA final to take their second ever national title. In this incredible conversation, May shares what his non negotiables are, how he creates a player centered environment centered around decision making and a willingness to make the right kind of mistakes. He also speakes to why he has such a calm sideline demeanor, the role of love in coaching, and so much more.
Prior to Michigan, may led Florida Atlantic for six straight winning seasons in Boca Raton, Fla. (2018-24), May captured Florida Atlantic's first regular-season and tournament championships while playing in Conference USA in 2023. He compiled a program record of 126 wins and helped the Owls make a run to the 2023 NCAA Final Four. Before earning his first head coaching job at Florida Atlantic, May was an assistant under Mike White for seven years with stints at Florida (2015-18) and Louisiana Tech (2011-15). Before working under White, May was an assistant under Kerry Rupp at Louisiana Tech for two seasons (2009-11). May started his coaching career at Eastern Michigan (2005-06) with Charlies Ramsey, before heading to Murray State (2006-07) to work under Billy Kennedy. Before joining Louisiana Tech, May spent two seasons with Mike Davis at UAB (2007-09).
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