Michigan basketball coach shares what Bobby Knight instilled in him
The Michigan Wolverines have cut down the nets after the men's basketball team, led by head coach Dusty May, secured the school's second NCAA title in program history on Monday night.
"It still feels like a dream," May told "Good Morning America," following his team's 69-63 national championship win over UConn.
May said the team's "balance of power" on the court was part of what made this title winning team so special.
"Each night we've had, I think, eight different leading scorers this season in different games -- the way these guys share the spotlight, share the success and all play their roles, it's been a special group to coach," he said.
He hailed the turnaround from last year -- the team lost in the Sweet 16 round in 2025 to No. 1 seed Auburn -- as "a real group effort" and echoed previous sentiments from UCLA women's basketball head coach Cori Close, who told "GMA" on Monday that having a selfless team helped led her group to NCAA victory over the weekend.
"I think it starts in the selection process, picking guys that have a desire to do it together," May said. "I think our messaging is probably the most important thing that we do -- the consistency that we coach with, the consistency of the staff, and then obviously the give and take from the players is pretty special."
May worked as a student manager at Indiana University under the legendary basketball coach Bobby Knight and said preparation was one of the most important thing he learned from him.
May said Knight had "numerous sayings," but cited "'The will to prepare is much more than the will to win' -- the anticipation of any problem and thinking [about] what's next and also just trying to be the absolute best teacher you can be for your guys," as his most influential.
Now that the Wolverines have secured the NCAA title, May said he is already thinking about what's next for the program and his career.
"It's tough to enjoy this, because the transfer portal opened last night. We'll have a few guys go to the NBA, we'll lose a few guys through graduation, so there's not much time to enjoy it," he said. "We have to turn the page, and with the Final Four being in Detroit next year, we have a little extra pressure."
May confirmed that "now that we've completed the task, I think we'll turn the page to figure out a way to stay at Michigan for a while."
The Indiana native said winning in his home state this year was "a full circle moment," adding that his mom used to bring him to the Final Four basketball clinics as a kid, where D1 coaches would host various skill camps.
"To be here today as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, it's a full circle and a surreal moment," May added.
