Kansas basketball guard Zeke Mayo reflects on Arkansas loss
Check out what Kansas basketball guard Zeke Mayo had to say Thursday following a loss in the NCAA tournament against Arkansas in March Madness.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In the moments that followed Kansas basketball’s loss in March against Arkansas, Zeke Mayo understood the end of the season wasn’t going to be something he moved on from quickly.
Mayo, whose team’s 79-72 defeat came in the round of 64 of the NCAA tournament, just had the chance to represent his hometown school in March Madness. He knew that’s not something every kid grows up and gets to do. He also knew his Jayhawks (21-13) didn’t expect to exit the tournament so soon, that they thought they were better than the Razorbacks, and as a senior it’s a terrible feeling to lose that final game.
But as Mayo processes the end of his college career, it’s not as if he doesn’t have an idea for what’s next. Mayo, who spent one year at Kansas after transferring in from South Dakota State, is going to pursue a career as a professional basketball player. That includes taking a shot at playing in the NBA.
“I’m going to pursue that,” Mayo said. “It’s a slim chance, but, I mean, why not? Definitely going to go through the training process and hopefully work my way up the pedestal a little bit and just kind of draw some attention throughout the summer, work as hard as I can, and, I mean, hopefully achieve my dreams for sure.”
After thriving at the mid-major level, Mayo became a featured part of Kansas’ lineup. He started 32 of his 34 appearances, while averaging 31.7 minutes per game. He finished second in points scored, second in assists made and third in rebounds collected, as he averaged 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
His 3-point shooting is what may give him the best opportunity to have a chance at the next level. His 89-for-211 (42.2%) mark from behind the arc made him the Jayhawks’ most prolific 3-point shooter this season. It’s a talent that helped Mayo stand out at South Dakota State, and one he carried over to KU.
Mayo’s performances in high-profile situations, like the loss against Arkansas in Providence, Rhode Island, the win against Arizona in March at home and the win against Iowa State in February at home should also help him. But it’s also going to be a matter of whether those games can help him enough, because the team success wasn’t where many expected it would be to help propel him even further. Kansas entered the season as the preseason No. 1 team in the nation and the favorite to win the Big 12 Conference, but entered the Big 12 tournament as the No. 6 seed and lost in the quarterfinals.
Mayo, listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, did make the All-Big 12 Third Team. He is a former player of the year in the Summit League. But there are indicators he has an uphill battle toward becoming an NBA player, like an ESPN update from March 25 not listing him on the big board of top 100 prospects.
Whatever happens, Mayo will still value being able to play for the Jayhawks and learn lessons from a coach like Bill Self. Playing for Self proved to be different and similar to what Mayo expected. Mayo mentioned you can see on TV when Self puts his hand over his mouth that while the words coming out probably aren’t what you want to hear, as a player it’s about understanding what Self is saying and not the tone it comes in. Mayo mused people probably misunderstand the coach Self is, that he’s revered in the sport for a reason, and that moving forward personally there is one aspect of his own game he knows he’ll take from this season to improve.
“As a player, definitely my mentality,” Mayo said. “I felt like I gave up many opportunities. And not to sound selfish or cocky or anything, but I felt like I didn’t necessarily insert myself into the game until we were minutes in. With these last couple, I felt like I inserted myself into the offense a lot more early, stayed aggressive throughout the game, and that’s when I feel like I was at my best. And I let our team down, especially on the road. I mean, it’s been talked about many times my road play versus my home play. I took that for granted for sure, and never realized it until it was too late and now we’re here.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
