When Florida Atlantic University head coach Dusty May capped a raucous celebration by cutting down the nets at Madison Square Garden last weekend, it was a moment that even he could not have envisioned when he took the job in 2018.
Then a top assistant at the University of Florida, May swiftly signed a contract to lead FAU’s men's basketball program without viewing its facilities in Boca Raton. Upon arrival, he walked through an arena that resembled a high school gym, with a dilapidated locker room and strength and conditioning center.
A former student manager for legendary coach Bobby Knight at Indiana, May returned to his hotel room and contemplated leaving the job before even coaching one game.
“I started crying and said, ‘I just committed career suicide,'” May told CBSSports.com.