FAU head coach Dusty May wouldn’t participate in a postgame interview without his team beside him after the Owls beat Kansas State in the Elite Eight.
It’s okay if you didn’t know who Dusty May or the FAU Owls were before March began. You definitely know them now.
The Owls are the Cinderella story of the 2023 NCAA Tournament and they just booked their unlikely ticket to the Final Four. The No. 8 seed bested No. 3 seed Kansas State in the Elite Eight on Saturday to continue their magical run.
How have they managed such an improbable achievement? Togetherness seems to be a big part. And it clearly begins at the top.
After FAU’s 79-76 upset, May insisted on having his team around him for the postgame interview.
Dusty May wouldn't do the interview without his players standing beside him ❤️ @FAUMBB pic.twitter.com/FTR8pcGG3N
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 26, 2023
“When you see a group of guys, coaches, staff, players, everybody pulling in the same direction, every single day even, when it’s hard, special things happen,” May said with a offset Final Four cap sitting on his head as placed by one of his players.
FAU head coach Dusty May is the coolest guy on the planet
May’s cool-as-cool demeanor didn’t end with that interview. He also dropped the quote of the tournament:
“I expect the prognosticators to pick us fifth in the Final Four.”
FAU coach Dusty May after beating Kansas State: “I expect the prognosticators to pick us fifth in the Final Four”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) March 26, 2023
And he wasn’t done. He gave FAU’s one-man radio crew the longest interview of the night.
Dusty May with the FAU radio. FAU radio = one guy. Ken LaVicka. Worked his ass off on this game and lost connection in the closing minutes, only to get back online in the final 30 seconds. Dusty giving him the longest interview of the night, and rightfully so. pic.twitter.com/age2OrhQN2
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 26, 2023
May was an assistant coach at Florida, Louisiana Tech, UAB, Murray State and Eastern Michigan before getting his first head coaching opportunity with the Owls in 2018. In his first two seasons they finished ninth in Conference USA but they have progressed immensely since then.
FAU won CUSA this year, posting an 18-2 record in conference and a 35-3 record overall. They bested UAB to win the Conference USA Tournament.
May’s squad earned a No. 9 seed but they’ve played far beyond that number. Their first-round win over Memphis was the first in program history. They’ve added three more, downing FDU, Tennesseee and Kansas State to reach the previously unthinkable: A Final Four.
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