Marquette, MI – July 16th, 2026 – Just a few years ago, the University of Michigan men’s basketball team found itself at one of the lowest points in program history. In what would become the final season under head coach Juwan Howard, the Wolverines stumbled to an 8-24 overall record and a dismal 3-17 mark in Big Ten play. It left a once-proud program searching for answers.
On March 15, 2024, the university made the decision to part ways with Howard, signaling the start of a new chapter. Just eight days later, they turned to Dusty May, fresh off a remarkable run at Florida Atlantic which included an appearance in the 2023 Final Four. The hiring immediately energized the fanbase and restored hope that Michigan basketball would quickly return to national prominence.
May delivered on that promise almost immediately. In his first season in Ann Arbor, he engineered one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college basketball. The Wolverines finished 27-10 overall, and 14-6 in Big Ten play, good for third place in conference standings. Michigan capped the year by winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship before advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, laying the foundation for something even bigger.
The first year under May’s leadership restored hope, year two made history. Michigan burst out to a 14-0 start and dominated the Players Era Championship, winning games by an average margin of 36 points. After suffering its first loss of the season to Wisconsin, the Wolverines responded with 11 straight victories, solidifying themselves as one of the nation’s elite teams.
The Wolverines’ success was fueled by standout individual performances; Yaxel Lendeborg earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, while Aday Mara was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Michigan entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 overall seed and completed its remarkable journey by capturing the program’s first national championship in 36 years.
Shortly after the championship celebration, however, the program faced another major transition. Dusty May announced he would leave Ann Arbor to become the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, ending a historic two-year tenure that completely transformed Michigan basketball. In just two seasons, May took the Wolverines from one of the lowest points in program history to the peak of college basketball.
His departure created a significant void, but Michigan wasted little time in identifying the next leader of the program. Eighteen days after May’s departure, the university promoted Mike Boynton Jr., who had served as the program’s interim head coach following May’s exit. Boynton agreed to a two-year contract, officially becoming the next head coach of the Wolverines as Michigan looks to build on the championship foundation May established.
Before arriving in Ann Arbor, Boynton served as an assistant, under Brad Underwood, at Stephen F. Austin for three seasons. Boynton then followed Underwood to Oklahoma State for the 2016-17 season. When Underwood accepted the head coaching position at Illinois after one year, Boynton was promoted to head coach. During his seven seasons leading the Cowboys, Boynton compiled a 119-109 record, highlighted by an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021, two NIT quarterfinal appearances in 2018 and 2023, three 20-win seasons, and a runner-up finish at the 2021 Big 12 Tournament. His 119 victories rank fourth all-time in Oklahoma State history.
“I’m grateful to [athletic director] Warde [Manuel] for his confidence and thankful for the opportunity to lead this program,” Boynton said in a statement. “We have built a championship culture and a standard that everyone associated with this program takes great pride in. We have an outstanding group of players, and I’m excited to get to work and continue the success we’ve established together.”
“You couldn’t ask for a better person to lead Michigan basketball,” May said. “Mike has poured everything he has into this program from the day he got here. He’s an outstanding coach, an even better person, and our players believe in him because they see the work he puts in every single day. I’m incredibly proud of him and excited for Mike, Jen, Ace and Zoe. There’s nobody more deserving of this opportunity, and I know he’ll do an outstanding job leading this program.”
With the coaching change, Michigan players were granted a 15-day transfer portal window beginning July 15th. The regular portal window normally opens right after the championship game and lasts for 15 days. The team won’t look much different following May’s departure. Guard Trey McKenney announced his intentions to stay hours after the coaching change, while starting point guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Elliot Cadeau, followed suit days later. Incoming transfers J.P. Estrella (Tennessee) and Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) reaffirmed their commitments last week, while five-star recruit Brandon McCoy Jr. opted to stay on July 4th. The one piece that won’t be seen in the maize and blue next season will be L.J. Cason. Before suffering a season-ending ACL tear against Illinois in February, the 6’2″ guard averaged 8.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from 3-point range. Cason underwent surgery and is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2026-27 campaign while recovering. Last week he entered his name into the transfer portal, the first to do it since the coaching change.
Michigan now enters another new era, one built on the remarkable turnaround orchestrated by May and entrusted to Boynton to sustain. The expectations in Ann Arbor have never been higher, but after witnessing one of the most extraordinary two-year transformations in college basketball history, the Wolverines believe they are well-positioned to continue competing at the highest level.
