Dusty May knows the expectations that come with coaching the Dallas Mavericks. He also knows success will not be measured by looking ahead to a specific season. In an interview with NBC 5, new Mavericks coach Dusty May outlined his philosophy for building the Mavericks, discussed his transition f rom college basketball to the NBA and shared his excitement about coaching a roster that includes Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. May acknowledged the recent success of previous Mavericks coaches. Avery Johnson reached the NBA Finals in his second season, Rick Carlisle won an NBA championship in his third season and Jason Kidd guided Dallas back to the Finals in his third year. Rather than focus on a timeline, May said the approach starts with daily improvement. “We’re not going to get there just pointing towards year three and expecting it to happen,” May said. “Every single day pouring everything we have into helping every single player in this organization be the best they can be and building a winner one day at a time.” May arrives in Dallas after successful coaching stops at Florida Atlantic and Michigan. He said leading Florida Atlantic to the Final Four remains the accomplishment that stands out most. “The program we inherited at FAU, that was too big of a dream as well,” May said. “I think when we made the NCAA tournament, we felt like we had reached the pinnacle at that level, and we just kept going from there.” He said he never imagined the Owls would reach college basketball’s biggest stage. “We didn’t really think about it until after we advanced to the Sweet 16,” May said. “At that point, we thought, you know what, we’re going to be hard to beat and who knows how far we could take this thing.” Leaving Michigan for the NBA was not an easy conversation for him to have with his players. “I just asked them for the same support that we would give our guys when they left for the NBA,” May said. “Even though they were disappointed, they’ve all been very, very supportive and basically saying that they would have done the same thing if they had the same opportunity.” May said he welcomes working alongside the Mavericks’ front office rather than having complete control over basketball operations. “With me and my personality, I love being a part of a team,” he said. “Whatever my role needs to be on each team, then I’m happy with that.” Asked what he admired most about Mavericks executive Masai Ujiri, May pointed to his leadership. “His energy is infectious,” May said. “You can just have a good feel for people and you could just tell that he was the type of guy that I wanted to be around every day and learn from.” May said his basketball philosophy centers on teamwork and sacrifice. “I think my North Star is playing the game as a unit, five guys being connected on the court, supporting each other, embracing each other’s unique talents and gifts and also sharing the sacrifice that it takes to be a champion,” he said. He believes that approach fits No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg. “I think it’s difficult to find someone that doesn’t have positive things to say about Cooper and his ability to impact the game in so many different ways and make him truly unique and special,” May said. “It’s going to be a heck of a responsibility to help him maximize his ability and become one of the best players in the NBA.” May also addressed the transition from college coaching to leading an NBA team. He said he believes his coaching style already aligns with the professional game. “I feel like the way our teams have played, the way the NBA game is now being played, but also the way that myself and our staff, we teach and we coach, it’s a little bit different than the college model,” he said. “We’ve embraced trying to be more progressive and learn from the NBA and learn from different leagues across the world.” Away from basketball, May said he enjoys reading, spending time with his family and being outdoors. He recently began reading the book “Super Teams.” May also reflected on a personal milestone. May turns 50 on Dec. 30 and said he feels grateful for the opportunity ahead. “Just blessed,” May said. “I never would have dreamed that this would be where I was at this step of my career, part of the journey.” ...read more read less