Last year's basketball season was a nightmare for Ohio State basketball fans. While the Buckeyes finally made the NCAA Tournament, they lost in the first round on a last-second shot. That was deflating enough, but things only got worse as March Madness progressed.
TTUN ended up winning the national championship in Indianapolis, which made things extra bad for me. I'm originally from that area, so watching them win in my own backyard was painful. Jake Diebler had his level of pressure raise after that since the Ohio State Buckeyes chose not to pursue May in order to keep him as the head coach.
Now, the Ohio State Buckeyes are off the hook. They have two five-star recruits coming in this year to help the roster be even better. May has also decided to leave Michigan, making the leap to the NBA. That news is making OSU fans jump for joy.
Dutsty May leaves to become the new head coach of the Dallas Mavericks
According to several insiders from ESPN, May has decided to leave TTUN to become the new head coach in Dallas. He becomes the first college coach to leave for the NBA in seven years. The last one was also a Michigan coach, as John Beilein left to head to the Cavaliers. That ended extremely poorly for both the Cavs and TTUN.
With May gone, the Big Ten has become more wide open. He has a clear record as a fantastic coach at multiple levels. Not only did he win a title at Michigan, but he also made a Final Four with FAU prior to heading to Ann Arbor. Now, other teams have a shot to dominate the league.
The Buckeyes have never been in a better position to compete for a Big Ten title since the early days of Chris Holtmann. With Diebler adding LJ Smith late in the year, they should have a shot at being in the top four of the Big Ten. Ohio State would get a much better seed in the NCAA Tournament if they did that.
Dusty May could flame out of the NBA relatively quickly
There is a reason why so many college basketball coaches flame out quickly when they make the jump to the NBA. It's very hard to have staying power in the pros. Most coaches get fired within three or four years, even if they have a successful year or two.
The only recent college coach to have a successful run in the NBA is Brad Stevens. Stevens left Butler to become the head coach of the Celtics, and now he runs the organization. He's clearly a unicorn, and May does not have the same level of basketball acumen as Stevens does.
It wouldn't be surprising to see May get fired in a couple of years. The Mavs want someone who can develop Cooper Flagg. If he struggles for a few months, May's seat will instantly get very hot. That's the nature of the beast in the NBA. Either way, it's good news for Ohio State fans.
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