Updated

Updated · ESPN · Jun 26

Elliot Cadeau Stays at Michigan After 40-Start Title Season as Dusty May Leaves for Mavericks

Updated

Updated · ESPN · Jun 26

Elliot Cadeau Stays at Michigan After 40-Start Title Season as Dusty May Leaves for Mavericks

Q: A title-winning coach fled to the NBA. Is this the start of a major coaching exodus from college basketball?

No. Dusty May’s jump from Michigan to the Dallas Mavericks is a major story, but the evidence does not show a broad flight of college coaches to the NBA. May’s move is unusual precisely because it is so rare. He became the first men’s college coach to leave immediately after winning a national title since Larry Brown in 1988, and one of the few recent college head coaches to land an NBA job. That makes it a headline, not yet a trend. His reasons do matter. May openly cited the changing college landscape — NIL, constant roster management, and less time spent simply coaching — as part of the appeal of the NBA. Those pressures are real across the sport and could make pro jobs more attractive to some coaches, especially those tired of year-round recruiting and transfer-portal churn. But the broader carousel still points elsewhere. This offseason’s movement has been driven mainly by coaches changing college jobs, assistants being promoted, and even NBA figures moving into college roles. North Carolina’s hire of former NBA champion coach Michael Malone is a prominent example in the opposite direction. History also argues against an exodus. College-to-NBA transitions are difficult, and many have failed, including John Beilein’s short stint in Cleveland. Brad Stevens remains more the exception than the rule. So May’s departure is best seen as a warning sign about college basketball’s changing job demands, not proof that a mass coaching migration to the NBA has begun.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jun 26

Elliot Cadeau will remain at Michigan, his agent told ESPN, giving the reigning national champions another confirmed returnee days after coach Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks.
Cadeau started all 40 games in Michigan’s title run and was Final Four Most Outstanding Player, posting 13 points and 10 assists against Arizona before scoring 19 in the championship win over UConn.
The 6-foot-1 point guard averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists in his first season at Michigan after transferring from North Carolina, and joins Trey McKenney as a key player publicly committed to 2026-27.
Michigan named assistant Mike Boynton interim head coach Tuesday; because no permanent coach has been hired, the Wolverines’ 15-day transfer portal window will not open until 31 days after May’s departure.