Michigan basketball: Dusty May and staff working hard to eliminate one major wart

Michigan basketball achieved significant success in the 2024-25 season under first-year head coach Dusty May, transforming from an 8-24 record to Big Ten Tournament champions and a Sweet 16 appearance. However, a persistent problem throughout the season was the team's high turnover rate, which frustrated fans and the coaching staff alike.

Coach May and his staff implemented numerous drills and strategies to address the turnover issue during the season, but were unable to find a consistent solution. May noted the problem lacked a common theme, with different players responsible in different games. After the season, May assigned staff members to conduct a detailed analysis, categorizing turnovers into specific types (e.g., poor decision-making, defensive pressure, practice situations) to identify the root causes. He expressed frustration at the lack of definitive answers during the season, acknowledging that opponents ("the enemy") also contribute to forced errors.

May revealed this offseason analysis is a deliberate mission, drawing parallels to a similar successful project he undertook at FAU where they identified concrete solutions. He emphasized that last season's turnovers often seemed random and unexplainable (e.g., dribbling off a foot), occurring even when the team played well. The staff exhausted various approaches to fix the problem, including punitive running drills inspired by Bob Knight and incentive-based systems, but none provided a lasting fix.