INDIANAPOLIS — Shortly before midnight Monday, Anna Mae stood on the confetti-strewn court at Lucas Oil Stadium as the opening bars of “One Shining Moment” echoed across the field.
She fixed her eyes on the big screen television above, her left hand covering her mouth and a look of disbelief on her face. It was as if she realized that CBS’s annual March tribute to the impossibilities and contingencies of the NCAA Tournament had suddenly shocked her family.
Anna and her husband, Michigan head coach Dusty May, grew up an hour from Indianapolis — where the Wolverines recently won a championship — and moved back to Indiana after a vagabond coaching career that now has a clear high point: Dusty May led Michigan to the program’s second national title. It unfolded in a game mostly devoid of art and drama, with the story of the May family’s homecoming as compelling as any on-court action.
“It’s special because so many people can be a part of it,” Anna May told ESPN. “But it would be special anywhere.”
Amid the 69–63 victory over UConn, May solidified himself in the top tier of basketball coaches and led Michigan among the sport’s elite programs of this era.
Over the weekend, after May pledged his loyalty to the Wolverines amid speculation about the then-open job at North Carolina, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel indicated he was “happy”. [May is] Stay” while celebrating on the court on Monday.
On a night when his team failed to dictate style but still won the battle, May showed an understanding of the sideline that instantly put him among the game’s top coaches after a tortuous journey through the game’s backroads to get there.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Dusty May said.
Anna Mae estimated that a hundred family members and friends were in attendance. This included people from rural Greene County, Indiana, where the Mays grew up, and dozens of college friends from Dusty’s time as Indiana manager and Anna’s time at Purdue.
His younger sons, Charlie and Eli, were both part of this solemn homecoming. Eli is a second-year manager at Michigan who said he was sitting at the top of the stairs as “One Shining Moment” began to play. Charlie is a senior walk-on who didn’t get a chance to watch the video amid the chaos. “I can’t wait to see ‘One Shining Moment,'” he said in the locker room.
While Eli and Charlie were together throughout the trip as part of the team and staff in Michigan this season, the oldest May boy came in for a cameo. Jack May gets a quick break from his job in the Miami Heat video room to join the family for the championship game. “Spo was really good about it,” Jack May said of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
Jack May said that by the time he was 10, he had lived in seven states, as his father visited Eastern Michigan and far-flung places such as Murray State and Louisiana Tech during his climbing career. Jack appreciates how hard both of his parents worked to lead to this moment. In a classic dose of May Midwest sunshine, he called it “wonderful.”
Jack May said, “We all loved the game, so getting to follow it was the best thing ever.”
Eli May, the youngest of Mays’ three sons, snuck out of his duties coding the film in the locker room with a few minutes left to watch and be part of the ending. charlie may He said that he could not remember the last time he saw his mother crying.
Emotions overpowered the family.
Ellie May said, “I wish I could say I dreamed this moment, but I didn’t even dream it.” “Who does this happen to?”
This happened to Mays on a night when many things did not go Michigan’s way, as UConn pulled the game into deep water – but the Wolverines managed to hang on. In the first five NCAA Tournament games, Michigan set a historic clip by becoming the first team to score more than 90 points in its first five NCAA Tournament games. There wasn’t much clincher tape on Monday, as the Wolverines made 2-15 shots from 3-point range, assisted on just 7-21 baskets and needed 25-28 free throws to survive.
Michigan staff waited about 17 minutes for star player Yaxel Lendeborg Despite his lack of production to score – he was never pulled despite being limited by an MCL and ankle sprain – and he didn’t grab a rebound or have an assist until the second half. The Wolverines’ vaunted fastbreak was stuck in the mud, as they finished with just two points in transition.
Mays made subtle adjustments throughout the game, applying pressure for nearly 14 minutes in the first half to speed up the pace, even though he is not the primary schematic weapon for the Wolverines. Michigan also came up short a few times in the second half, not a mainstream lineup for a team nicknamed the “Monstars” due to its preponderance of size.
Michigan assistant Mike Boynton said, “We never really want to win a game like this because Dusty likes to play a game that’s too aggressive.” “So we have to give credit to UConn that we played the way we had to play tonight.
“That’s what champions do, they have a huge influence on the way the game is played, but credit also goes to our guys for finding a way through this mess.”
The players clearly enjoyed giving May a pinch-me moment. Assistant coach Justin Joyner explained how May’s ethos is one of partnership with players, building relationships and getting buy-in. He clearly felt reciprocated by her trust and support.
“To be able to work for him and see the big smile on his face tonight, because the job isn’t over until the final buzzer goes with that guy in it,” the senior Will Shetter Said. “So to be able to see that smile and have that feeling of, man, we did it, means a lot.”
The glory of March is both eternal and fleeting. May’s staff immediately turned their attention to the transfer portal opening on Tuesday. Joyner will go to Oregon State to become the head coach. Five players are graduating.
Jack May, who had an early morning flight to meet the Heat in Toronto, took a minute to soak in the scene.
He said, “It’s very deserving, but you never feel like you’re going to win it all and then it just happens.” “So this is unrealistic. This is unrealistic. This is crazy.”
This is what happens when life meets montage.
