One of the pre-Michigan quotes for Dusty May that stuck with me came from an outstanding conversation

on the basketball podcast with Chris Oliver of Basketball Immersion.

It was recorded back in April of 2023, of course, just a few weeks after May and Florida Atlantic reached the final four.

Oliver asked Dusty about the experience and the coolest part of getting to

the final four, and in part, Dusty said, quote, it's the amount of people that you have access to now

learn from. We've had some doors open up to really cool people, basketball coaches, knowledgeable

people that were going to be able to use as resources, end quote.

When you hear that answer, it's pretty remarkable, not the four victories to get there, not the

playing a college basketball game in front of the 73,860 people in Houston.

Nope, it's the opportunity created from the success of your past.

Now, college basketball coaches, to get to this level, you've got to be wired a little bit

differently, of course. And those wins, those players, they were important. They are things

that Dusty May will remember and probably more detailed and more fondly way down the road.

But Dusty even admitted in that same podcast that it's tough for him to soak it all in.

Quote, if you start thinking and dwelling, then you're probably going to get caught up, end quote.

That mentality, some of those quotes, were fresh in mind for me when I was there for Dusty May's introductory press

conference, and he emphasized the importance of winning in year one.

That was 14 months ago.

Would it be tough?

Yes, of course.

Michigan was coming off just an eight-win season.

The roster was in flux, to put it lightly.

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