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Michigan has its next men’s basketball head coach. Athletic director Warde Manuel announced today that Mike Boynton Jr. will lead the program going forward on a two-year deal. Boynton, 44, becomes the 19th head coach in program history and takes over a team coming off its first national championship in 37 years.
Manuel named Boynton interim head coach on June 23, one day after Dusty May left to become head coach of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Friday’s announcement removed that interim tag and made the role permanent.
What Boynton built as Michigan’s defensive coordinator
Boynton spent the past two seasons as the top assistant on May’s staff. He ran the defense and the results were immediate. In his first season at Michigan, the Wolverines ranked 12th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. In the second, they led the entire country. That defensive dominance anchored a 37-3 championship run and a school-record victory total.
Beyond defense, Boynton built a reputation as one of college basketball’s top player development coaches. In just two seasons, he helped four players reach the first round of the NBA Draft. The 2026 class stood out nationally. Morez Johnson Jr. went ninth, Yaxel Lendeborg went eleventh and Aday Mara went twelfth. Together with 2025 first-rounder Danny Wolf, Boynton’s work made Michigan only the fifth program since 2004 to land three lottery picks in a single draft.
The two-year record during his time as an assistant was 64-13. That stretch also produced a Big Ten Tournament title, a Big Ten regular-season championship and the national title.
Boynton’s coaching history before arriving at Michigan
Before joining May’s staff in April 2024, Boynton had more than 20 years of coaching experience. He served as head coach at Oklahoma State for seven seasons from 2017 to 2024, finishing with 119 wins. His best season came in 2020-21, when the Cowboys went 21-9 and reached the NCAA Tournament with Cade Cunningham, who went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Oklahoma State fired Boynton in March 2024. Within weeks, May brought him to Ann Arbor. What followed gave Boynton a second head-coaching opportunity built on the strongest possible foundation.
His coaching career started in 2004 as a graduate assistant at Furman. He then moved through stints at Coastal Carolina, Wofford, South Carolina, Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State as an assistant before his first head-coaching role. He played collegiately at South Carolina, earning SEC All-Tournament Team honors as a senior in 2004.
What coaches and players said about Boynton’s hire
May called Boynton the right person for the job and praised his ability to anticipate problems before they develop. Dusty May said no one works harder and no one has earned this more. Former player Yaxel Lendeborg credited Boynton’s personal investment in his growth as a player. Cade Cunningham called Michigan’s hire a gain in both coaching and character. University president Domenico Grasso said Boynton’s leadership, integrity and commitment to player development reflect exactly what Michigan expects from its coaches.
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