ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has agreed to a two-year contract with men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton, removing the interim tag he was given after Dusty May left to lead the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
Athletic director Warde Manuel announced the move on Friday, going for some continuity on the coaching staff for the defending national champions.
“Mike is a veteran assistant with strong head coaching experience and a clear understanding of the standard we expect at Michigan,” Manuel said. “Over the past two seasons, he has been an invaluable member of our staff, bringing stability, leadership and perspective during an important period of success.
“Our players and staff believe in his vision, are committed to his leadership and are excited for the opportunity to pursue great success together this season.”
Boynton has been able to help the Wolverines retain their roster, which includes nine newcomers.
“I’m grateful to Warde for his confidence and thankful for the opportunity to lead this program,” Boynton said. “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.”
Boynton was 119-109 over seven seasons at Oklahoma State, which fired him two years ago. He recruited Cade Cunningham to play for the Cowboys in 2020 even though they were facing NCAA penalties from rule violations under a former assistant coach.
“Coach Boynton has had a huge impact on my life,” Cunningham said. “He believed in me, trusted me and pushed me to become the best version of myself. I’m incredibly happy for him and his family because I know how much this opportunity means to all of them. Michigan is getting an outstanding coach, but even more importantly, they’re getting an incredible person.”
May said during the NCAA Tournament that his top assistant should get another chance to lead a program and added to his endorsement on Friday.
“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.”
The 44-year-old Boynton, who is from New York, previously was an assistant with the Cowboys and Stephen F. Austin under current Illinois coach Brad Underwood.
Former Michigan coach John Beilein endorsed Boynton’s hiring.
“He absolutely is the right guy at the right time to become the next head men’s basketball coach at Michigan,” Beilein said.
Manuel hired May away from Florida Atlantic in 2024 and he quickly turned around a program that lost a school-record 24 games two years ago, leading to former Fab Five player Juwan Howard getting fired.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
