Who is the basketball coach for Florida Atlantic? 5 things to know about Dusty May
The Florida Atlantic Owls men's basketball team is going dancin'.
After a stellar season in which they were ranked in the Top 25 for the first time ever, posted a 31-3 record overall (18-2 in conference play) and claimed the Conference USA regular season title and tournament title, the Owls are in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in the school's history.
While players like Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin and Vladislav Goldin have led the way on the floor, the man guiding them on the sideline has also gotten national attention this year. FAU men's basketball head coach Dusty May won the Conference USA Coach of the Year award and has also been named a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award this season.
FAU basketball coach history: Who were Florida Atlantic basketball's 8 head coaches before Dusty May?
Can FAU afford to keep coach Dusty May?Here's how they'll try to fend off big basketball programs
Dusty May's path to FAU:How basketball coach Dusty May landed at Florida Atlantic University | D'Angelo
So who is May and how did he end up leading this Owls to this magical season? Here are some things to know about the coach.
Dusty May is from Indiana and has a connection to Bob Knight
Dusty May was born and raised in Indiana and attended Eastern Greene High School. He then went to college at Indiana University, where he served as a student manager for the Hoosiers men's basketball team from 1996-2000 under legendary coach Bob Knight.
May was an assistant coach under Mike White at Florida
After graduating from IU, May had video and administrative roles at USC as well as at his alma mater. He got his first assistant coaching job at Eastern Michigan, where he stayed from 2005-2006. He then held the same position at Murray State for a year before becoming an assistant coach at UAB.
In 2009, May became an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech under Kerry Rupp. When Mike White took over the head coaching job there in 2011, he stayed on staff. May followed White to Gainesville in 2015 when he got the top job with the Florida Gators men's basketball team.
FAU is May's first head coaching job
May was hired in March 2018 by Florida Atlantic's new athletic director — Brian White, the brother of then-Florida head coach and May's boss Mike White. May replaced former NBA player and Detroit Pistons head coach Michael Curry, who had been fired after four seasons with the Owls.
May is the ninth head coach in FAU men's basketball history. His initial contract was set for five years.
May has the best winning percentage of FAU coaches so far
Since taking over the program, May has lead the Owls to winning seasons every year. During this 2022-23 season, his team has broken school records for number of wins in a season, most conference wins and longest winning streak.
This season's remarkable run has pushed May's record as Florida Atlantic head coach to 88-58 over five seasons so far. His .603 winning percentage is better than that of other former Owls head coaches Matt Doherty (.536, one season), Rex Walters (.484, two seasons) and Mike Jarvis (.427, five seasons).
Son Jack May is on the Florida Gators men's basketball roster
Dusty May's oldest son Jack is currently on the Gators' men's basketball team. The 6'4" walk-on guard has appeared in a handful of games this season. Jack May scored two points in his season debut against Stony Brook back in early November.
In addition to Jack, May and his wife, Anna, two more sons — Charlie and Eli.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dusty May: Get to know the FAU men's basketball head coach
