Michigan chose continuity. It also faced reality. Hiring a college basketball coach in late June is not ideal timing.
The Wolverines, according to multiple reports, will promote Mike Boynton Jr. to interim coach to succeed Dusty May, who’s leaving for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
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The key word in that sentence? “Interim.”
That suggests this is a trial run — as it should be.
What’s next? Michigan has interim fix to Dusty May exit. But who could be long-term answer?
If Boynton can keep Michigan’s roster together, the Wolverines possess enough talent after signing an elite recruiting class to pursue another deep NCAA Tournament run. Achieve that, and Boynton can shed the interim label.
But, this job is too good for Michigan to commit to Boynton being anything more than a one-year experiment.
Never mind Michigan isn’t a blue blood, it boasts top-tier resources, and money matters more than ever in the buy-a-player landscape. If Boynton wobbles as interim, Michigan should open the job next spring to a full search that ought to attract top candidates.
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Keep Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz on speed dial. Schertz would have been a natural heir to May if the job had opened two months ago.
The good news for Michigan? Schertz isn’t going anywhere between now and March. Schertz passed on Syracuse and NC State to stay at SLU — perhaps, because he figured something better would open if he showed patience.
Well, Michigan would fit the bill as something better.
Schertz and May are good pals, too. Before SLU faced May’s Wolverines in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Schertz spoke of his yearslong friendship with May, calling him “an incredible resource.”
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“We’re always picking each other’s brain,” Schertz said then.
Josh Schertz would fit Michigan’s past playbook of hiring Dusty May
May climbed the ladder from video coordinator to becoming best coach in college basketball. Schertz also knows how to grind. He spent more than a decade coaching in Division II before Indiana State smartly hired him.
Schertz would’ve been an appropriate and qualified successor to his friend. He’s more accomplished than Boynton, who proved a valuable assistant to May, but who made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in seven seasons coaching Oklahoma State, a tenure that quickly got sideways as the FBI investigated assistant coach Lamont Evans for taking bribes.
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Schertz’s resume, by comparison, includes multiple D-II Final Fours, an NIT runner-up finish at Indiana State after the NCAA selection committee snubbed the Sycamores, and winning an NCAA Tournament game in his second season at SLU, while setting a school record for wins.
If Schertz outperforms Boynton this season, make the switch.
No need for Michigan to reinvent the hiring wheel. Hiring Schertz next spring would amount to dusting off the “Hire Dusty” playbook by targeting a coach who’s proven himself in the NCAA Tournament, but who hasn’t peaked yet. May took Florida Atlantic to the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons and reached a Final Four before Michigan plundered him. He needed just two seasons to take Michigan to the pinnacle.
Don’t get distracted by Billy Donovan
Let Kentucky pine over Billy Donovan. Donovan’s past performance at Florida indicates potential for a high ceiling, but he last coached in college more than a decade ago. His inexperience within the landscape of NIL and transfer free agency would make him a riskier hire than you’d expect for someone with his resume.
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Instead of Donovan, Michigan could target a savvy coach on the rise who’s won big without Michigan’s resources — someone like Schertz.
Schertz’s brand of up-tempo, unselfish offense that tilts toward the 3-pointer suits the modern game.
“When you look at a lot of our metrics and analytics, we mirror each other (in style),” May said last season, while comparing his Wolverines to Schertz’s Billikens.
Put Michigan’s checkbook in Schertz’s hand, and see if he could replicate his friend’s success.
Mike Boynton is a low-risk trial move
Making Boynton the interim for this season amounts to a low-risk option. If he crushes it, keep him. If not, you’ve burned just one season, and Michigan would be positioned to pursue top candidates at a better stage in the calendar.
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While I’d put Schertz near the top of the watch list, the list also should include names like Mark Byington (Vanderbilt), Ben McCollum (Iowa), T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa State) and Grant McCasland (Texas Tech). Like Schertz, they’re in-their-prime coaches in their mid to late 40s or early 50s.
If this job had opened in April, I’d have hired any of those guys ahead of Boynton, but the job opened in late June.
That’s a recipe for an in-house interim coach — with a head coach watch list stashed away in Michigan’s top drawer.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Schertz makes sense at Michigan if Mike Boynton fizzles
