Vlad Goldin Expresses The Close Bond Between Him And Michigan Basketball Coach Dusty May

The Michigan basketball center shared why he chose to come to Ann Arbor and how the team is looking so far.

Trent Knoop | Jul 5, 2024

Mar 25, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Dusty May talks with Florida Atlantic Owls center Vladislav Goldin (50) during the first half of an NCAA tournament East Regional final against the Kansas State Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

When Dusty May took over as the head coach for the Michigan men's basketball program, the expectation was that he would bring over several FAU players. But the reality is that May brought over one Owl and it was a big one -- literally. 7-foot-1 center Vlad Goldin was the lone FAU star to come to Ann Arbor. Goldin comes to Michigan as the projected starting center who knows May's system in and out. Last season, Goldin averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 25 minutes of action per game.

Goldin was featured on an episode of Defend The Block recently and he talked about his relationship with May and why he chose to come to Michigan.

The Russian center began his college career at Texas Tech with current Michigan wing Nimari Burnett. Goldin played one season with the Red Raiders before playing the next three seasons under May. Goldin progressively got better every year and there were plenty of schools wanting Goldin to come play for them in 2024, but Goldin chose Michigan. Why? Because it's the University of Michigan and he's familiar with the coaching staff.

“First of all, it’s a great program, it always was attractive because it’s Michigan, it has probably one of the greatest athletics histories for all of the NCAA teams,” Goldin said. “And the second reason is the coaching staff. I prefer a relationship over anything else, so it was a pretty big deal for me.”

When Goldin chose to come to the United States to play basketball, he had to make a big sacrifice. He wasn't able to see his family for five years and that's not an easy thing. But the one thing that helped Goldin was Dusty May. Goldin said that May is his family now and is one of the people who made him feel at home during his time at FAU.

“It’s hard to say how impactful (May) was for my entire career, but he gave me family,” Goldin said. “I haven’t seen my family for five years but he’s probably one of the people who gave me family, who let me feel like I’m home, and it’s unbelievable.”

Mar 25, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls center Vladislav Goldin (50) kisses a piece of the net following a 79-76 victory against the Kansas State Wildcats in an NCAA tournament East Regional final at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

May has publicly said he wants to play Goldin and fellow 7-foot Yale transfer, Danny Wolf, 25 minutes each per game. There is a scenario they both play together but Wolf will see the '5' when Goldin is off the court. Goldin said he doesn't care how many minutes he plays a game, he just wants the team to win and succeed. So far, Goldin said the team has looked great in the limited practices and everyone is playing hard.

"Everybody's so good," he said. "It's insane how we had a couple practices, couple first practices. And everybody fights, everybody plays so hard. It's amazing, because you cannot teach to play hard. You cannot teach somebody how to be competitive right away. Or you have it, or it's developed over a long time. And I liked that it was first practice, and everybody was ready to play and go full speed. So it's amazing how everybody's ready."

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