Who are Dusty May's potential successors as Florida Atlantic men's basketball head coach?
The Dusty May era is over in Boca Raton and ahead are some of the most pivotal days in Florida Atlantic men's basketball history.
May announced Sunday he’d accepted the head coach position at the University of Michigan, ending the most successful tenure in program history.
Under May, the Owls went 126-69 in six seasons and made a historic run to the Final Four in 2023, unseen heights by the program's traditional standards.
The search for May's replacement is underway as athletic director Brian White attempts to continue the upward trajectory of the FAU men's basketball program.
Dusty May's departure: 'We made memories that will last a lifetime'
Here's a look at six potential candidates for the next FAU men's basketball head coach:
Bucky McMillan
"Bucky Ball" in Boca Raton?
Samford won hearts with a determined comeback against Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks that fell just short after a controversial late no-call in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
McMillan, 40, has been on a meteoric rise through the coaching ranks in recent years.
He was head coach at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Alabama from 2008-2020 before leading his hometown Bulldogs to three straight 20-win seasons from 2022-24.
If McMillan, a Birmingham native, is ready to step beyond his local roots, he could seek to emulate the program-building success which vaulted May into the upper echelon of college basketball.
Donnie Jones
Few potential replacements have the Sunshine State experience of Stetson's head coach.
The Hatters enjoyed a historic 2023-24 season with 22 wins, an Atlantic Sun championship and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Jones, 57, was an assistant at the University of Florida under legendary head coach Billy Donovan from 1996-2007, helping the Gators to back-to-back national titles with his recruiting prowess.
While his time as UCF head coach (2010-2016) was largely unspectacular, Jones did lead the program in its transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. FAU will be entering its second season in the AAC next fall.
Erik Pastrana
White and FAU struck gold in 2018 by hiring May, who was then a young assistant on Mike White's coaching staff at Florida with no Division I head coaching experience.
Should Brian White choose to follow a similar recipe, he could pluck Erik Pastrana from his older brother's current staff at the University of Georgia.
Pastrana has experience in Boca Raton as he served as an assistant in May’s first season with the Owls. He helped recruit Michael Forrest, the program's all-time leading 3-point shooter, to campus.
A Miami native with Cuban heritage, Pastrana would be a South Florida hire and a good candidate to connect with the school's local community, an important priority for fundraising in the NIL era.
More: Why the UGA basketball staff has been along for FAU's ride to the Final Four
Akeem Miskdeen
Miskdeen is another Georgia assistant coach who checks a lot of boxes FAU might look for in its next head coach.
He was an assistant coach under May at FAU from 2018-21 and helped recruit Owls star Johnell Davis to Boca Raton. He also served as FAU's acting head coach for two games in 2020-21 with May sidelined due to health and safety protocols.
With 13 years of collegiate experience, including Power 5 stops at Florida and Georgia under White, Miskdeen might just be ready for his first Division I head coaching opportunity.
It's a not so small bonus that he's invested in the program May built at FAU and publicly supported the Owls during their historic NCAA Tournament run.
“I won’t rock any FAU gear,” Miskdeen said of supporting FAU at the 2023 Final Four. “I can’t be on TV rocking FAU gear when we’re trying to get some players for Georgia. I’ll be a little animated, but I’ll have to calm myself down because I’ll have to remember that I work for the University of Georgia.”
Antonio Reynolds-Dean
Reynolds-Dean would continue the theme of plundering White's coaching staff at Georgia. He currently serves as White's associate head coach with the Bulldogs.
A former player at Rhode Island and professionally overseas, Reynolds-Dean has steadily climbed the coaching ranks since his playing career ended in 2008 with stints at Rhode Island, College of Charleston and Clemson.
Reynolds-Dean also holds coaching experience under reigning national champion head coach Dan Hurley of UConn. He served as an assistant under Hurley at Rhode Island for two seasons.
At age 47 – the same as May – Reynolds-Dean may be ready for his first Division I head coaching opportunity.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor at The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dusty May: Here are 6 potential successors at FAU basketball
