Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Florida Atlantic introduces new men’s basketball coach Dusty May.
BOCA RATON — It’s not that new Florida Atlantic basketball coach Dusty May doesn’t have respect for the recruiting talent found in other areas of the country.
He just wants to make Florida, especially MiamiDade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, his home recruiting base. May, who was introduced Friday, said his program will make a strong commitment to signing players from the South Florida area.
“Home is the highest priority,” Day said. “We will recruit nationally. We will recruit junior-college. We will recruit prep schools but home is the highest priority. We want to put a fence around Florida, especially in the South Florida area.”
May, the ninth coach in school history, already had a head start on gaining trust of the local high school coaches and players. He began building relationships when he was an assistant at Florida the past three years. May also recruited the state while on the Louisiana Tech staff.
He calls this opportunity a chance to “recruit players to paradise.”
“I think we had several Florida kids [at Louisiana Tech] that really bought into the system and they fed our style of play,” May said. “They were athletic. They were tough. They had a high upside. They wanted to be in the gym and work. We have an affinity for local kids”
May replaces Michael Curry, who was fired a week ago. Owls Athletic Director Brian White contacted May the next day, after the Gators were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
White, who was hired earlier this month, said May was always the No. 1 candidate.
“This process has been quick,” White said. “It’s been a whirlwind. But we’ve been very thorough. It’s been very encouraging to me … We’ve had a lot of interest for this position. I talked to nearly a dozen candidates. I’ve had 20-plus recommended that were very interested in this position. Through the process, Dusty really rose to the top.”
What made the decision even easier for White is the recommendation he received from his older brother, Mike, who is the coach at Florida. Mike White and May have worked together since the 2011-12 season when they were on staff at Louisiana Tech.
They captured three straight conference championships from 2013-15, winning the Western Athletic Conference and backto-back Conference USA titles.
“It was totally a contributing factor,” Brian White said. “I was on staff at Louisiana Tech. I saw the run that they had firsthand … They had a lot of success. That was definitely factor. But like I said, we did a national search. A separator for me was having someone who has an understanding for Florida but also has had a lot of success in this conference. You want the best person for the job and there was no doubt in my mind that was Dusty.”
May, who has yet to name a coaching staff, will have the task of turning around an FAU program that has struggled most of the decade. Under Curry, the Owls were just 39-84 in four seasons. They haven’t had a winning season since 2011 and last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2002.
“I’ve been a part of a couple rebuilds,” May said. “The key is getting good players who are great people and want to improve and hiring a great staff. Both of those things, we’re on ASAP and looking forward to the challenge.”