The NCAA Tournament offers thrills, shrills, a glimpse at the future stars and plenty of job opportunities. Mid-major miracles can mean a whole new tax bracket for coaches whose name might not have even been known to most of the public before March Madness started. Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May firmly fits that bill.
However, he does not view the Boca Raton-based University as a mere stepping stone. At least not right now. In the midst of a momentous Final Four run with the Owls, May has decided to sign a new contract to remain Florida Atlantic basketball’s head coach.
“I love it here. I love our players, I love our staff and the only thing I’ve been focused on since the beginning was doing the best job for our team,” May told Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. “I was doing my job and I never had any intent of leaving.”
At this rate, fans will want a Dusty May statue immediately constructed in the middle of campus. He has led Florida Atlantic to a winning season every year since he became head coach in 2018. This season has been a supernova, however. The team dominated the Conference USA in both the regular season and postseason and have now amassed a sensational 35-3 record en route to mowing through the East Region in the NCAA Tournament.
The Owls barely survived Memphis before ending Fairleigh Dickinson’s fairy tale, and obstructing what could have been a pretty clear path to the Final Four for both Tennessee and Kansas State. Now, they get the defensive powerhouse San Diego State Saturday night for a chance at sports immortality. May is surely not worried about making a good impression on potential employers. He is locked in.
“The most attractive thing about FAU is it’s ours,” May said. “We’ve built our identity, we’ve built amazing team culture and those are things most important to me.”
The college basketball world could be witnessing the next great coach whose sheer impact elevates a mid-major program into its own lucrative destination a la Mark Few at Gonzaga.
A National Championship would prevent anyone from using the term “stepping stone” to describe Florida Atlantic basketball ever again.
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