Less than a year after being named head coach at Michigan, Dusty May has been rewarded for his efforts with a new deal that sees him earn $1 million plus more per year on his five-year contract, a calculated move to ward off potential interest from Indiana, who will see Mike Woodson step down at the completion of the current season.
May has led the Michigan Wolverines to a 20-win season, the first time they have managed this feat for a number of years, and it’s unsurprising that he would be strongly linked with a move to the Hoosiers, having served as a student manager at Indiana from 1996 to 2000.
Keeping hold of May should serve Michigan well, and fans of the Wolverines who feel their team can make a real impact in what remains of the current campaign may want to back that hunch with a bet. If you wish to do so, then using this DraftKings new user promo will help make the wager a little less risky, and may well also improve your potential payout.
Michigan’s 49-46 win at Nebraska took May’s team to 21-6, and they are still to go head-to-head with big rivals Michigan State one more time. As for Indiana, they’ll have to look elsewhere when it comes to locating a replacement for Woodson.
One potential name in the hat is that of Boston Celtics’ general manager Brad Stevens, who hails from Indiana. For his part, Stevens has looked to allay such links, stating,
“I thoroughly appreciate being a Celtic and love the people I get to work with every day,”.
St Johns’ head coach, Rick Pitino, has also thrown a suggestion into the mix, commenting on the growing speculation by stating,
“If I was the AD of Indiana, I would immediately not even interview anybody else and hire one of the premiere coaches in all of college basketball, and that’s Chris Beard from Ole Miss,”
“I wouldn’t even think about another person. He’s perfect for that job.”
“I am a gigantic fan of Chris Beard. I think he would kill it at Indiana. He’d have them in the top five to seven every single year.”
Beard enjoyed success in Texas, but off-court issues may mean he won’t be considered by Indiana, and that’s a view echoed by NCAAB insider Jeff Goodman,
“I don’t think it’s going to be Chris Beard,”
“I really don’t. I think he’s down the list because of the baggage, because of the things that happened – that I know he got cleared from, but cost him his job at Texas.”
As for Mike Woodson, who previously served as head coach at NBA outfit the Atlanta Hawks for six years, well his four-year spell at Indiana will come to a close at the end of the season, with the 66-year-old currently having a 79-51 regular season record, with his current 16-11 run being the worst of his seasons in charge of the Hoosiers.
Woodson certainly improved on what came before, with previous incumbent Archie Miller hardly setting the world alight during his four-year reign.
