u/HotsHartley

1st pick: our Texas Legends selected Jorge Diaz-Graham out of Spain. 🇪🇸

3rd pick: our Texas Legends selected Guillermo Diaz-Graham out of Spain. 🇪🇸

They both showed up on our Vegas Summer League roster. This is where they came from! 🔥

11th pick: our Texas Legends selected Nathan Golly out of France. 🇫🇷

The video is too long for Streamable

Here are four things Dusty does better than a lot of other coaches.

1. Mentorship

Dusty started as a student manager at Indiana under Bob Knight. He has worked for some of the biggest names in the game. Usually, when a coach finally becomes "The Guy," they isolate themselves. Dusty does the opposite. He maintains deep relationships with other coaches and refuses to stay in a coaching bubble. He is always looking to learn from his peers, regardless of their level.

2. Consultants and Coaches

As the article noted, Dusty works extensively with people outside his immediate circle—like former high school principal Doug Lemov, author of The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, basketball consultant Chris Oliver, or an executive leadership coach like myself. He doesn’t just read our books or listen to podcasts; he wants to have conversations. Curious conversations where he is humble enough to ask for feedback and learn from it.

3. Trading Judgment for Questions

In an era where many college coaches blast their players in the media or vent to their staff behind closed doors, Dusty hits the "pause" button. When frustration arises, he notices the judgment and gets curious instead. He is constantly searching for better questions to help him understand his players’ mindsets and work with them.

4. Both Transactional and Transformational

In her book Leadership in Turbulent Times, Doris Kearns Goodwin writes of Abraham Lincoln: "Pragmatic, transactional strategies provided the nuts and bolts of principled, transformational leadership." Dusty lives this. He has maintained a deeply relational approach to coaching while successfully navigating the highly transactional landscape of modern sports. He has shown us that you don't have to choose between being a good leader and being a winner.

Hear More from Dusty on The Coaching Culture Podcast:

• Dusty May on the Leadership Style that took FAU to the Final Four
• Dusty May on How to Embrace Growth and Development as a Busy Leader

Mavericks pick:

9. Brayden Burries, SG, Arizona

10. Sergio de Larrea, PG/SG, Valencia, Spain

11. Aaron Nkrumah, SG, Tennessee State, senior

Would you be happy with this haul?