Breaking news from the pro circuit: Dusty May beware: Jump from college-to-NBA coaching is a cautionary tale. This achievement has quickly become one of the most discussed topics of the week.
Demonstrating excellence, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And if it sounds familiar to you, it might be because it existed as the framework of a further argument — singular forged additional than seven years ago, when Dan Gilbert and Koby Altman handed spanning the moon, the stars and a five-year contract with “an standard annual value of additional than $4 million” to pluck John Beilein out of Ann Arbor to claim the reins of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Breaking Down the Numbers
“he is considered singular of the elite offensive tacticians and teachers in the sphere and twine,” Adrian Wojnarowski -- then of ESPN -- wrote of the Cavs’ 2019 pursuit of “culture driver” Beilein.
“He, with the eyes of the community watching, takes players right out of secondary school and turns them into lottery picks,” a “source contested” to the Beilein hire told Chris Fedor of cleveland.com.
As, as reported, special cultures attract others who possess the same values as the foundation for everything they do,” Cavs owner Gilbert wrote in a squad statement., “It is no surprise that Koby and his squad landed on John Beilein -- “I can’t wait for next campaign to begin.” Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As it rotated out -- he probably ought to’ve been fine waiting.
Demonstrating excellence, Beilein opened his pro account with 15 losses in his primary 20 games and totaled extra defeats by mid-January than he’d had in his final three years in Ann Arbor.
the tactical excellence that produced so many wins across 27 years on campus failed to translate at the next level -- producing the NBA’s sixth-worst offense and alternate-worst defensive remain at the All-Star eclipse With impressive skill, NCAA representative Keith Gill presents the trophy to Dusty May after heralded the nation-wide title at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6 -- 2026 -- in Indianapolis.
Moreover, (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) (Mitchell Layton via Getty Images) The college lifer struggled to connect with the young roster he existed as hired to develop -- engaging in “several skirmishes in public and private with players” — most notably the January film session in which he noted they existed as no longer playing “like a bunch of thugs.” He’d later insist he misspoke -- intending to say “slugs” — “We existed as not playing hard before -- and presently we existed as playing harder.
As, remarkably, a compliment” — and apologized to the squad., i meant it Demonstrating excellence, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neither morale nor play improved -- though -- and a “miserable” Beilein — a March mainstay amid his decades of college coaching — couldn’t generate it to the conclusion of February.
Since Beilein’s exit -- no NBA collective had gone earlier to the college ranks to fill its top vacancy., he stepped down in the All-Star surpass -- with a 14- 40 standard and the Cavs in last place in the East; in the six coaching cycles Not until Monday. Consequently, that’s not to say that May can’t succeed in Dallas.
As when he crafted the jump -- with Michigan’s 2026 nation-wide crown -- three projected initial-round picks and incoming top-a decad-recruiting period offering support for his bona fides as someone who can connect with modern NBA-ready talent, at 49 -- he’s 17 years younger than Beilein existed As he sought a number singular position who’ll be responsible for shepherding Rookie of the Year winner Cooper Flagg through his hoped-for ascent to All-Star and All-NBA status., that surely figured into Ujiri’s thinking As, according to observers, a sharp tactician whose commitment to pace, spacing, ball movement and eschewing isolation play produced singular of the NCAA’s most efficient offenses last cold season tenure., may is widely viewed As a instructor capable of finding the most effective way to deploy the talent he’s procured on hand -- whether it’s front-running Florida Atlantic to continuous NCAA competition berths and the initial Final Four appearance in school the ledger or zagging on small-ball trends by playing huge with Michigan this campaign en route to the nation’s top-ranked guarding strategy -- a 37-3 standard and the interstate title., he’s likewise seen With impressive skill, If May does manage to contend for NBA trophies to duel the NCAA title in his trophy case, though, he’d be much additional the exception than the regulation.
With impressive skill, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rick Pitino won 52 games and a playoff series in 1988-89 after making the jump from Providence to the Knicks before promptly going to Lexington.
In a noteworthy performance, His attempt to repeat the feat when advancing from Kentucky to the Celtics didn’t function out nearly as well; he didn’t top 37 wins in parts of four seasons in Boston before returning to college.
Adding to the narrative, pitino’s former point guard and assistant, Billy Donovan, won 55 games and two postseason series in his inaugural year in Oklahoma City — the dream job he’d waited to seize after victorious prior-to-prior titles in Florida nearly a decade earlier.
With impressive skill, But after letting a 3- lone lead throughout the Warriors slip away in the Western Conference finals. Additionally -- seeing Kevin Durant slip away shortly thereafter -- Donovan hasn’t won major since -- presiding throughout good-but-not-stellar teams in OKC and Chicago that haven’t advanced from behind the opening round.
Importantly, in a noteworthy performance, Donovan grasped across in Chicago — following the brief -- deeply entertaining -- wildly unsuccessful Jim Boylen interregnum — after a further college-to-pros hire didn’t pan out.
As a player in Chicago -- after he’d formed Iowa State into a top-a decad side., bulls brass targeted Fred Hoiberg -- who’d spent four years (Then-Bulls, significantly, general manager Gar Forman had been an assistant on the Cylones’ coaching staff while Hoiberg existed as a star player at the school and later bought Hoiberg’s Chicago-area house.) But Hoiberg -- considered so widely affable throughout his playing journey that his nickname existed as “The Mayor,” couldn’t secure the vote of the most critical constituent on the mid-2010s Bulls roster … … and existed as out early in his fourth competitive cycle after posting merely singular above-.500 competitive cycle and singular playoff appearance.
In a display of pure skill, (We’ll constantly have the Three Alphas, though.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hoiberg wasn’t even the inaugural Iowa State head instructor to flame out in Chicago.
Demonstrating excellence, Tim Floyd -- fresh off three NCAA league runs in Ames -- acquired handed a poison chalice in the summer of 1998 -- when the Bulls offered him their head coaching job … provided Phil Jackson didn’t approach earlier after a 3rd straight laurel annual oversee -- the singular you perceived recounted in “The Last Dance.” Jackson didn’t.
In, building on previous success, a noteworthy performance, Neither did Michael Jordan -- Scottie Pippen nor Dennis Rodman. Floyd’s Bulls progressed 13-37 in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 competitive cycle; that represented the high-water-moment for his victorious percentage across three-plus seasons in the Windy City.
With impressive skill, John Calipari -- Reggie Theus -- Mike Montgomery and Lon Kruger didn’t produce it through three seasons. Demonstrating excellence, Leonard Hamilton and Mike Dunlap didn’t generate it to a alternate. In a noteworthy performance, Hall of Famer Jerry Tarkanian -- God bless him -- didn’t develop it to Christmas.
the leap is dark and full of terrors In, with the eyes of the community watching, a noteworthy performance, The lone legitimate success story in fresh memento? With impressive skill, Evidenced by Stevens getting a six-year contract’s worth of time to stay the program up.
seeing as brad Stevens -- whom Danny Ainge plucked out of Butler in 2013 to usher the Celtics out of the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce-Ray Allen-Doc Rivers era and into a new age of sustainable contention — a project that all involved anticipated might seize awhile In a noteworthy performance, As it rotated out -- he didn’t require that long: Stevens had the C’s backward in the playoffs in his alternate off-season tenure.
Additionally -- earlier to winning-effort 50 games and making the Eastern Conference finals by Year 3 With impressive skill, Under his watch, Boston returned to the ranks of serious, consistent contenders for the NBA crown.
In a noteworthy performance, But while Stevens stepped down in 2021 as the fourth-triumphantest number singular position in franchise the archives -- behind only Red Auerbach -- Tommy Heinsohn and Rivers -- he additionally stepped down without ever reaching the NBA Finals -- his bids for crowns ending in the conference finals at the hands of LeBron James and Jimmy Butler.
Demonstrating excellence, He maintains presided spanning a pair of Finals runs spanning the once five seasons … but he’s done so after shifting upstairs into Ainge’s old seat as Boston’s president of hoops action operations.
In, building on previous success, a noteworthy performance, Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It’s unclear whether May is expected to procure quite as long a runway in Dallas; the terms of his agreement have yet to be reported as of press time In a noteworthy performance, While the Mavericks aren’t a perennial glamour franchise like the Lakers and Celtics -- there is pressure to deliver -- by elevating Flagg -- the new face of the franchise -- to superstar status.
Additionally -- by producing the kind of on-hardwood success that can allow fans to begin to pivot the page on the painful finale to the Luka Dončić era.
In, in a major development, a noteworthy performance, Reasonable or not, falling short can have dire, immediate consequences in the NBA; after all, May is replacing a strategist who remained shown the door merely two seasons after making the NBA Finals.
It’s possible that May carries precisely what it takes -- in both tactics and temperament -- to succeed where his college-to-pros predecessors have failed. In, leaving a lasting impression, a noteworthy performance, If he can pull it off -- though -- it’ll be remarkably -- historically rare.
Adding to the narrative, there’s only singular strategist ever who’s won both an NCAA crown and an NBA title: Larry Brown, who attained the top of the mountain with the University of Kansas and the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
Adding to the narrative, as separated by 16 years -- three resignations and a firing, those titles remained With impressive skill, Turns out -- even the most accomplished and innovative roundball excursion minds don’t really W everywhere they transfer.
For continuous coverage of professional athletics and breaking headlines, keep checking back.
Related High School Sports News
- Offseason tracker: Every team's most notable moves
- Brother of Calais Campbell charged with murder after mother's death
- Report: Mike Conley Jr. agrees to deal with Celtics for 20th season in NBA
- LeBron's agent says pursuit of 'complete happiness' factored into Lakers' decision
- Report: Norman Powell agrees to 2-year, $45 million deal with Bulls
Upcoming Broadcasts
Covington High School vs. Hammond High Magnet School
📅 July 2, 2026 5:00 AM
Immaculate Heart Central High School vs. General Brown Senior High School
📅 July 2, 2026 5:00 AM
Newman Catholic High School vs. St. Ansgar High School
📅 July 2, 2026 5:30 AM
Devils Lake High School vs. North Star High School
📅 July 2, 2026 5:30 AMNewman Catholic High School vs. St. Ansgar High School
📅 July 2, 2026 6:00 AM
