Boynton Locked In for Michigan After May Moves to NBA

Mike Boynton has signed a two-year contract to serve as head coach for the University of Michigan men's basketball team. The hire secures a permanent leader for the program following its recent national championship. Boynton had previously served as an assistant coach under outgoing head coach Dusty May.

Boynton spent seven seasons as the head coach at Oklahoma State. He compiled a record of 119 wins and 109 losses during that tenure. The Cowboys qualified for the NCAA Tournament once under his leadership. He was dismissed by Oklahoma State after the team finished with a 12-20 record in the 2023-24 season.

Following Michigan's national title win, May accepted a position to coach the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. The university initially named Boynton as the interim head coach. That appointment was later formalized into the current two-year agreement. Boynton described his time on May's staff as a period of professional development.

During Big Ten media days, Boynton compared his two years assisting May to a sabbatical. He said he learned how to manage a high-functioning organization while sitting next to May. Boynton noted that he studied how to identify specific qualities in players to fit team needs. He also discussed delegating responsibilities and maintaining consistent daily performance.

The Michigan hiring represented the largest transaction in the recent college basketball coaching carousel. Several other major programs changed leadership during the same offseason. Kansas State hired Casey Alexander to replace Jerome Tang. Tang had gone 26-10 in his first year at the school before finishing 45-47 over the next three seasons.

Casey Alexander holds a career record of 303-180. He coached at Stetson from 2011 to 2013, Lipscomb from 2013 to 2019, and Belmont from 2019 to 2026. The move at Kansas State follows a period of inconsistent results for the Wildcats under Tang.

LSU brought back Will Wade for a second stint as head coach. Wade was originally fired in 2022 after the NCAA cited the program for recruiting violations. Matt McMahon replaced Wade but was dismissed after going 60-70 in four seasons. Wade led McNeese and N.C. State to NCAA Tournament appearances during his time away from LSU.

The University of North Carolina hired Michael Malone, a coach with no prior ties to the school. Malone had no experience as a college head coach before this appointment. He compiled a 510-394 record as an NBA coach from 2013 to 2025. Malone won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 and replaces Hubert Davis at the Tar Heels.

On the women's side, Pauline Love returned to Alabama after serving as an assistant coach for Kristy Curry in 2024-25. Curry left for South Florida after 13 seasons. Tammi Reiss moved to a new program after going 138-73 in seven years at Rhode Island. Ayla Guzzardo arrived at a new school after leading McNeese to a school-record 29 wins last season.

Carla Berube joined Northwestern after six years at Princeton, where she compiled a 147-29 record. Joe McKeown retired at Northwestern after 18 seasons. Aaron Rousell took over at Virginia following a Sweet 16 finish. He replaces Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who was fired in April. These changes reflect a widespread reshuffling of coaching staffs across major programs.