May takes over at Albion

ALBION, Mich. - Elida High School grad Jody May didn't have much time to celebrate his being named the head men's basketball coach at Division III Albion College.

A few hours after he was named Albion's head coach Monday, he was on the phone looking for an assistant coach.

May takes over for Mike Turner, who retired Monday after 34 seasons at Albion. May has been Turner's assistant since 1997 and was promoted to associated head coach prior to the 2002-03 season. May also coached the junior varsity team.

Turner ranks 10th among active NCAA Division III coaches in career victories. He became head coach at Albion in 1974 and has a career record of 527-319 with the Britons.

"We've been working together for so long," May said. "It's going to be a little bit of adjustment because I'm moving over one chair, but not much will change. It's a new person, but we'll do the same thing. We want to play defense and play hard and have all the same values."

May said Turner had been thinking of stepping down, so it wasn't a complete surprise.

"He mentioned it's something that he's wanted to do," May said. "He could keep coaching another year or two, but said he'd rather do it earlier than one day late."

Turner will be active in fund raising for the athletic department.

Practice will open Oct. 15 and May hopes to hire an assistant coach soon.

The 2007-08 squad finished 19-6 overall, 12-2 in the MIAA, second place to Hope. May returns seven lettermen, including three starters.

"We've got some pieces in place," May said. "We had a really good year last year, but I hope they remember how hard they had to work to get there."

May came to Albion after two seasons with the men's basketball program at Hanover College (Indiana). He was a captain on the 1993 NCAA Division III championship squad at Ohio Northern.

May moved into the coaching ranks immediately upon graduation in 1993. He served as an assistant at Bluffton for two seasons while earning his master's degree at Bowling Green State.

Turner's teams have earned five Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball championships, plus NCAA Tournament appearances in basketball in 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2005. The 1978 squad finished third in the nation.

It will be May's first head coaching job.

"If I had time to sit down and think about it, it might be overwhelming," May said of taking over a quality program. "But there's no time to think about it. I'm really fortunate to be at Albion. It's a great place with very good people."