When he officially took over the job last Friday, new Michigan men’s basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. already had two assistant coaching spots to fill. On Monday, Boynton checked the first off his list.
It was announced Monday afternoon that Mike Martin has joined the Wolverines as an assistant coach. Martin had been the head coach at Brown for the past 13 seasons. His coaching career started as an assistant with the Bears, then moved to Penn in the same role before returning to his alma mater in 2012.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Coach Boynton for the opportunity to join the Michigan basketball family,” Martin said in a statement released with the announcement of his hiring. “Michigan has established itself as one of the premier programs in college basketball, and it’s easy to see why. The championship culture, the people and the commitment to excellence all make this a special place. I’m excited to get to work with our student-athletes and help build on everything this program has accomplished.”
Martin’s teams have had middling results in the Ivy League. Brown secured a winning record in conference play just twice in his 13 years and failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament during his tenure.
Martin did raise the program’s level from his predecessors, though, winning 13 or more games in 10 different seasons — something that had been accomplished only once in the eight years before his arrival. Martin, just 44 years old, leaves as the Bears’ all-time winningest coach.
“Mike is someone I’ve admired for a long time,” Boynton said. “He’s an outstanding coach, an exceptional teacher and one of the best recruiters in the game, but more than anything, he’s a great person who truly invests in his players.”
Former Michigan assistant coaches Drew Williamson and Mody Maor — who was added to the athletic department directory but never officially announced before his departure — are both following former coach Dusty May to the Dallas Mavericks. Martin is likely the first of two additions Boynton makes to fill out his staff this offseason.
