INDIANAPOLIS — Dusty May stood atop the ladder along the baseline waving the cut down nets for all to see.
Michigan’s basketball coach took it all in as he celebrated the program’s first title since 1989, a 69–63 win over Connecticut.
Monday marked the Wolverine’s second national title in revenue sports in three years after Michigan won the 2024 college football playoff.
“Given where we were two years ago nobody thought this would happen,” Michigan AD Warde Manuel told reporters after the game. “And so to see this and to see Dusty really implement what we talked about in the interview and the way he built this team it’s just really special.”
Two years ago was former coach Juwan Howard’s final season, an 8–24 campaign that led to his dismissal despite being a former player and part of the decorated Fab Five teams. Howard was involved in two physical altercations while with the team, including one with a strength coach.
But this past, December, Manuel had bigger issues to address than a losing record. After an internal investigation revealed football coach Sherrone Moore had an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, Manuel fired him. Moore was arrested the same day for breaking into the staffer’s residence and was charged with two misdemeanors. He reached a plea agreement in March and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14.
The university launched an investigation into its athletic department, which is currently still pending. Previously, he had been suspended for three games during the 2025 season as part of the punishment the NCAA handed the school in light of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal.
When Manuel was asked after Monday’s national title game about the stability May has provided the athletic department in light of Moore’s arrest, he didn’t limit the credit to his basketball coach.
“We have a lot of anchors in a lot of different programs,” Manuel said. “And what happened in football this fall is not defining of the 99.99% of the people in that department who are doing the right things. I’m proud of my staff, I’m proud of my coaches, I’m proud of my student-athletes in the way they comport themselves.”
Now Manuel could give May his third contract in two seasons to keep him in Ann Arbor. May reportedly pulled out of the North Carolina job and told Michigan he isn’t pursuing other college jobs, which leaves open the possibility of NBA gigs.
Asked if he planned to give May a lifetime contract, Manuel asked if anyone planned to donate the money to fund such a deal before adding, “Dusty’s going to be fine.”
