Mike Boynton Jr. will shed his interim tag and take over as head coach of Michigan basketball, Wolverines Athletic Director Warde Manuel announced on Friday. The veteran assistant and former Oklahoma State coach agreed to a two-year contract to replace Dusty May.
In April 2024, Boynton was the first assistant coach hired by May at Michigan. He was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2025-26 season, and helped lead the Wolverines to the NCAA Championship and their best record in program history.
“You couldn’t ask for a better person to lead Michigan basketball,” May said in a press release. “He’s an outstanding coach, an even better person, and our players believe in him because they see the work he puts in every single day.”
After career stops at Furman, Coastal Carolina and Wofford, Boynton earned his first long-term position as an assistant coach with South Carolina. Coach Darrin Horn identified his eye for talent and placed Boynton in charge of recruiting. In the summer of 2010, Boynton played a major role in landing USC’s best recruiting class in recent history.
At South Carolina, Boynton developed a relationship with Gamecocks assistant Brad Underwood and followed him, first to Stephen F. Austin in 2013 and then to Oklahoma State in 2016. Back then, Underwood — now considered one of the top recruiters in the nation — depended on Boynton.
“Mike has achieved a lot at an early age in coaching who has spent a lot of time in the SoCon, and was also in charge of recruiting at South Carolina,” Underwood said upon hiring Boynton at SFA. “He has a ton of connections not only with coaches in the Texas area, but in the South and up and down the East Coast.”
When Underwood left Oklahoma State, Boynton followed a familiar path: Assistant, interim, contract. As head coach, he put together a 119-109 record and earned a reputation for player development. In 2020, Boynton recruited and coached Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
“Coach Boynton has had a huge impact on my life. He believed in me, trusted me and pushed me to become the best version of myself,” said Cunningham in a press release. “Nobody deserves this opportunity more.”
Boynton inherits one of the strongest rosters in men’s college basketball, including three returners from last year’s Tournament team. Under NCAA guidelines, May’s departure triggered a 15-day window in which Michigan players could re-enter the transfer portal. None did.
Among the roster highlights are starting point guard Eliot Cadeau, star freshman Trey McKinney and Brandon McCoy, a 5-star recruit from Sierra Canyon School. In his most recent Never-Too-Early Preseason Top 25, Seth ranked the Wolverines third in the nation, behind just Duke and Florida.
“We have built a championship culture and a standard that everyone associated with this program takes great pride in,” said Boynton on Friday. “We have an outstanding group of players, and I’m excited to get to work and continue the success we’ve established together.”
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