kansascity
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Zeke Mayo scored a season-high 28 points with eight 3s for Clevelands G League team.
- Mayo scored 15 points in KUs 84-80 TBT win over K-State at Lee Arena.
- Mayo averaged 7.3 points in four Vegas games and also played in Salt Lake City.
Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA G League team, former University of Kansas combo guard Zeke Mayo hit eight 3s and scored a season-high 28 points in a 122-107 victory over the Westchester Knicks on March 17 in White Plains, New York.
The 6-foot-4, 23-year-old Lawrence native, who played for KU during the 2024-25 season after three years at South Dakota State, went 9-of-18 from the field, including 8-of-14 from 3-point range.
The game certainly showed NBA scouts what Mayo is capable of on any given night and perhaps helped him gain an invitation to join the Atlanta Hawks summer league team.
I dont know if it really put me on the map.
Teams dont really look for scoring.
Its more about what you bring to the table outside of that, said Mayo, a starting guard on KUs alumni team (JHX), which will meet K-States Purple Reign squad on Friday in the deciding game of a best of three opening series in the TBT.
Tipoff is 6 p.m.
at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan.
The game will be shown live on FS2.
Every team has hundreds of scorers on their team, so just doing the little things I think is whats going to help me take that next step, said Mayo, a free agent heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.
Mayo averaged 8.2 points, 2.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 36 games for Cleveland of the G League last season.
He averaged 21.4 minutes per contest while starting two games.
The Lawrence High graduate most recently averaged 7.3 points and 2.0 assists per game while playing 20.8 minutes in four of the Atlanta Hawks five outings in the 2026 Las Vegas NBA summer league.
He hit 34.5% of his shots, 25% of his 3-point attempts.
Mayo played in one of the Hawks three games in the Salt Lake City summer league, which preceded the games in Vegas.
He had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting while playing 14 minutes in Atlantas 96-82 win over Memphis.
He was 3-for-4 from three with two steals and one assist.
The good ones always make the NBA.
Its just little steps at a time, said Mayo, unsure if hell be heading to Atlantas preseason camp or perhaps that of another team.
Overseas basketball always remains a possibility.
So as long as Im just continuing to work, keep my head down and continuing to improve my game it should (work out).
Mayo went 3-of-9 from 3 and scored 15 points in KUs 84-80 TBT victory over K-State on Wednesday at Lee Arena in Topeka.
In Mondays 80-61 loss to Purple Reign he scored 12 points on 1-of-7 three-point marksmanship.
So in two games hes a chilly 4-of-16 from 3-point ran.
I try to bring my 3-point shot everywhere I go, Mayo said, crediting JHX head coach Sherron Collins and assistant Tyshawn Taylor for encouraging him to shoot from beyond the arc against the KSU defense.
These two, just being under their wing for the last few days and going into this tournament, they push me.
With the little time that weve had together they give me confidence.
The other guys (on team) give me confidence.
A scorers mentality is to continue to shoot whether you make or miss.
So Im not really worried about misses right now.
The shots are going to fall, but obviously Im going to continue to play my game and were going to keep fighting.
Taylor said Mayo is getting good looks.
Hes not forcing shots.
Hes not rushing shots.
Hes not taking bad ones.
Hes taking makeable shots.
So its our job as coaches to encourage him to keep shooting those shots because they will go in.
Thats why you encourage the shooters.
We cant let him get down on himself.
Its always next shot mentality.
Next shot, next one going in, Collins stated.
Hes put in the work.
He works his tail off.
We want him to shoot those shots.
Mayo he averaged 14.6 points on 42.2% shooting his one season at KU said he personally has some incentive trying to defeat KSU on Friday and advance to a single-elimination alumni bracket semifinal game in the $2 million winner-take-all tourney.
I used to watch the the (KU-KSU) rivalry growing up, said Mayo, who last summer averaged 12.3 points for JHX in the TBT.
So it feels good to go out there and just continue to to play the rivalry.
Its incredible to have the opportunity to put on the Crimson and Blue again.
Obviously, its a lot of adrenaline, a lot of emotions going into the game, so its fun.
But at the end of the day, its just hoops, and thats what Im here to do.
Im going to go out and represent and say where Im from.