FAU coaching candidates: 5 Dusty May replacements as HC accepts Michigan job
FAU basketball enters a new era with the departure of Dusty May. May, who led the Owls to the Final Four, has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Michigan. Florida Atlantic is now in the difficult position of replacing its most successful coach ever. Not that the job is without its appeal. The top four scorers on the Owls' team will return a year from now.3
Florida Atlantic averaged 82 points per game this season, and presents a program with a love of up-tempo, run and gun hoops.
It's a great job for an up and coming young coach or even for a veteran looking to return to his roots. Did Boca Raton come up in conversation yet? South Florida figures to be a pretty alluring locale.
Here are five best guesses at where the Florida Atlantic University coaching search could land.
Top 5 candidates to take FAU basketball job
5. Will Wade, McNeese State
Wade is on a basketball revenge tour after his exile from LSU. Step one was McNeese State. Wade to the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament, but would doubtlessly love a higher profile job. He's a bit of a style departure, as Wade's McNeese team was a defense-first operation. But winning is winning.
The biggest issue with Wade is that FAU would hire him with one foot basically out the door.
He's a big-time coach who will be steadily working to get back to the big time. But that could work in FAU's advantage in the short term, particularly if a couple of the coaches lower on this list aren't inclined to take the job.
4. Chris Mack, former Xavier and Louisville coach
Since leaving Louisville, Mack has kept a fairly low profile. That said, the Cardinals' subsequent fall onto their collective face hasn't hurt his reputation anyway. Mack has coached at the highest level, but at just age 54, still has a significant future ahead of him.
Yes, Xavier and Lousiville have higher profile jobs than FAU. And Mack's style isn't necessarily a perfect alignment with FAU's high-octane attack. But this is a possible compromise of convenience between a coach who needs another shot and a school that could use a good coach.
3. Todd Abernethy, FAU assistant
Todd Abernethy would bring to the table an interesting combination of old and new. First, he had been on May's staff since 2019. He did have a year of head coaching experience at the lower college level before that. But Abernethy has intriguing international ties, having played in the Netherlands, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine and Estonia. That could be big.
Abernethy was a tough player himself at Ole Miss, graduating in 2007. The potential danger in choosing a coach too close to the prior coach is a lack of any ground to expand.
Abernethy's international ties present an obvious possible way for him to extend from May's footprint. It could make him too intruging to bypass.
2. Josh Schertz, Indiana State
This coach is heading for a bigger job, and while FAU isn't perhaps a national marquee spot, it'd be a logical next spot for Schertz.
Schertz took Division II Lincoln Memorial University to national prominent before landing in Indiana State.
He took the Sycamores to the verge of the NCAA Tournament, landing them briefly in the top 25 for their first post-Larry Bird glory.
Schertz happened to graduate from Florida Atlantic. He is 400-108 in his career and at age 48, is still young enough to have a bright future. Schertz's teams are notable for playing up-tempo and high-scoring basketball. This is a guy who will be coaching a power conference team in the next ten years, but FAU would be wise to be his next stop before that day.
1. Kyle Church, FAU assistant
The cleanest transition is often the best. Given the massive success that May had, replacing him with his highest lieutenant seems like a solid plan.
Church would be that guy. A 2010 graduate of Charlotte, Church has been with May for six seasons at Florida Atlantic. Before that, they worked together for five years at Louisiana Tech and Florida-- with May as an assistant and Church as the director of basketball operations.
During Church's time at Florida, he was recognized on the National Association of Basketball Coaches' 30-under-30 list. He helped the Gators reach the Elite Eight and then went to the Final Four with FAU last year.
Few assistant coaches have that level of experience, and none have the ties to May and his system that Church has. It's not a glamor hire, but it might be the best hire.