Michigan’s interim gamble hinges on Mike Boynton’s NBA exit timing

Michigan is expected to promote assistant Mike Boynton Jr. to interim coach after Dusty May leaves for the Dallas Mavericks. The interim tag sets up a one-season trial—while Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz, a longtime friend of May, remains the most plausible l

For Michigan, the hardest part isn’t finding a coach—it’s finding one in time. Dusty May is headed to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and the Wolverines are reportedly preparing to bridge the gap with an interim hire that turns this season into a test of both leadership and fit.

According to multiple reports, Michigan will promote Mike Boynton Jr. to interim coach to succeed May. The key word is “interim. ” a label that signals the school wants flexibility after a late June opening—one that keeps the program from committing long-term immediately while still trying to keep the roster and momentum intact.

Boynton’s runway depends on results. If he can keep Michigan’s roster together and build on an elite recruiting class. the Wolverines could still chase another deep NCAA Tournament run. If that happens, the interim tag becomes less relevant. If it doesn’t. Michigan’s plan appears designed to move on without losing a full year’s worth of calendar leverage.

That timing matters. Hiring a college basketball coach in late June is not seen as ideal. and this is part of the reason Michigan is choosing continuity. The program also has to weigh the modern realities of college basketball—where resources and money increasingly determine how teams recruit and retain talent.

If Boynton “wobbles” as interim, the likely next step would be a full search next spring, when Michigan can target top candidates rather than relying on an in-house patch. The approach fits the idea that the current move is meant to buy stability—not permanent certainty.

In the background sits Josh Schertz, the Saint Louis coach who could fit Michigan’s longer-term needs. The piece of the puzzle that makes Schertz feel close to the program’s orbit is the fact that he has known May for years. Before Saint Louis faced Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Schertz described his long friendship with May and called him “an incredible resource. ” saying. “We’re always picking each other’s brain.”.

Schertz also isn’t going anywhere immediately. The reporting says he isn’t leaving between now and March after passing on Syracuse and NC State to remain at SLU, a choice that may reflect patience—and the expectation that a better opening could come into view if he waited.

Schertz’s fit is not just personal. The argument for him leans heavily on resume and tournament experience. The comparison being drawn is stark: Schertz’s track record 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.

Boynton, by contrast, has a more limited resume as a head coach. He proved a valuable assistant to May. but he made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in seven seasons coaching Oklahoma State. That tenure “quickly got sideways” after an FBI investigation into assistant coach Lamont Evans for taking bribes.

The NBA move is also what changes Michigan’s options on the calendar. The argument here is that if the job had opened two months earlier. Schertz might have been the natural heir to May. With Michigan’s vacancy arriving late June. the path appears to narrow toward interim stability rather than the cleanest succession plan.

Still. the editorial logic built into the situation is hard to miss: if Michigan can’t secure a definitive successor right away. it can at least position itself to switch strategies after one season. Schertz’s return to the conversation is framed as a matter of timing—buying time now. then acting decisively if the trial fails.

A broader list of potential successors is also part of how Michigan is being advised to think this year. If the Wolverines ultimately need to open the search next spring. names mentioned include Mark Byington (Vanderbilt). Ben McCollum (Iowa). T.J. Otzelberger (Iowa State), and Grant McCasland (Texas Tech). Like Schertz, they are described as coaches “in-their-prime” in their mid to late 40s or early 50s.

The piece also warns against getting pulled into a different kind of temptation: Kentucky coach talk around Billy Donovan. Donovan is presented as a higher-ceiling option based on past performance at Florida. but the concern is that he last coached in college more than a decade ago. The argument goes further. pointing to risk in today’s recruiting ecosystem—specifically NIL and transfer free agency—suggesting his inexperience in that landscape would make him a more complicated hire than his resume might otherwise imply.

Instead, the style match matters. Schertz runs an up-tempo. unselfish offense that tilts toward the 3-pointer. and that is described as well-suited to the modern game. May made the connection himself last season. comparing Michigan’s metrics and analytics to Schertz’s Billikens style. saying. “When you look at a lot of our metrics and analytics. we mirror each other (in style).”.

Michigan’s reported decision, then, becomes not just a staffing move, but an experiment designed around timing. Making Boynton the interim for this season is described as a low-risk option: if he succeeds. Michigan keeps what’s working; if he doesn’t. the program has only “burned just one season” and can pursue top candidates at a better stage.

That doesn’t erase what happens next. It just delays the moment of certainty.

And for Michigan, the deal is simple: Dusty May’s exit to Dallas Mavericks forces the Wolverines into a one-season trial with Boynton, but the deeper question—who replaces May long-term—still sits on the table waiting for next spring if the interim plan can’t deliver.

Michigan basketball Dusty May Mike Boynton Jr. interim coach Dallas Mavericks Josh Schertz NCAA Tournament college coaching hires NIL transfer portal