Top JUCO Guard Going to Big Ten
One of the top junior college guards decided to make a decision over the weekend on a visit to a Big Ten school. Sylvester Mayes, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound guard from the Redlands Junior College in Oklahoma, will make a major impact over the next two years at his future Division I home.
Mayes verbally committed to Ohio State on Sunday after visiting the Buckeyes, giving head coach Thad Matta a big-time scoring guard to work with as he tries to get the school back to national prominence.
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“It was just a pretty good feeling I got with the coaches and the players. It just had a family feel to it,” Mayes said. “Everyone was just real cool with each other. I think I’ll be a good fit there. I know I’ll be successful because of the academics and the basketball.
“Coach Matta is a high-energy guy that’s down to earth, too. He’s pretty cool. We just talked about their style of play and what he expects out of me once I get there. They want me to come in there and get the job done by putting up those points and just being a leader.”
After averaging 14 points and five assists a game as a freshman last year at Redlands, expectations are high this season for the JUCO power. He believes this season will be the perfect transition to the next level.
“(Redlands) coach (Steve) Eck makes you get after it on defense and that’s only going to help me for the Big Ten because you gotta play defense in that league,” Mayes sad. “They play hard and get after it. This year is only going to get me even better.”