On March 23rd, Michigan hired Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May and kicked off a new era of the basketball program. May has rebuilt the roster and re-tooled the program with an impressive coaching staff, but his first game on November 4th is still weeks away. We know the basics about May’s resume, the highlights of his FAU team’s success, and what he’s said in press conferences, but there’s still much more to uncover.
We’ve spent the summer digging into May’s game film, press conferences, interviews, clinic videos and more to understand his basketball vision and how that applies in Ann Arbor. Over the next two months, we’ll look closer at May, his philosophy, and his track record in a series of bite-sized breakdowns that feature everything from on-court tendencies to sideline demeanor to analytics, schematics, and culture building.
Welcome back to Dusty 101. Today we break down May’s focus on teaching, learning and connecting with his players. (Previously: Offensive philosophy , Shot Selection , Defense never gets set , Giving up control )
The word “intentional” appears in almost any topic Dusty May discusses, and it absolutely applies to the learning environment he tries to create in his program.
May’s love for podcasts and knowledge is well-established, but it is also a thread through his identity as a teacher and coach. He loves studying basketball, but many lessons he mentions from books and podcasts involve instruction.
In a Final Four media availability, May answered that Doug Lemov, a writer and podcaster focused on learning and teaching, was the most exciting person who reached out to him after making the Final Four. Not someone from Hollywood or a celebrity, but someone who has helped him get to this point by sharing knowledge.
“Probably the person that really I’ve been most impressed with is a gentleman named Doug Lemov,” he said at the Final Four. “He teaches teachers how to teach. He’s written a couple of books, “The Coach’s Guide to Teaching .” And during COVID, I became obsessed with becoming a better teacher and communicator. Read all his books and podcasts.
“He reached out the other day and invited me to a conference that he’s going to be in Miami. Probably not the national celebrity you guys are wanting to hear, but in my world that was the coolest text.”
That obsession with teaching more effectively seems to be legit, not just something May talks about. He comes off as someone who isn’t necessarily driven by solving basketball as much as helping his players understand and play better basketball.
May first heard Lemov on Chris Oliver’s Basketball Immersion podcast , consumed all of his content, and now uses Lemov as part of his personal development process, even sending him film of practices and film sessions.
“I think I’ve listened to every podcast (he’s done) because I realized at the time I am an inept teacher,” May said last summer. “I’m not good enough at teaching. I have to improve at teaching. So I became obsessed with all of his books, and he’s become someone who evaluates me, films everything that I do.”
Dusty May Promo!
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