Stay at a mid-major or leave for a Power 5

• Myron Medcalf, ESPN

  • Staff WriterNov 29, 2023, 09:00 AM ET Close Covers college basketball
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2011
  • Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

It was enough money to change Zeke Mayo’s life.With the amount

of cash on the table, according to the South Dakota State star, he could have conveniently moved his entire family with him if he accepted the NIL offer connected to a Power 5 program that tried to recruit him over the summer season.”I had a chance to move my family out of

where we’re staying today,”Mayo stated.”I had a chance to make some money to feed my family. It’s constantly been a dream of mine to take care of my parents and look after my sis.”However Mayo, a 6-foot-3 point guard and the Summit League’s preseason Player of the Year, did not enter the transfer website, instead staying at South Dakota State, the league’s preseason favorite to win the conference championship.That hasn’t been the pattern. Mayo is the only player from last season’s All-Summit League first team who did not transfer during the offseason. Texas standout Max Abmas, the former Oral Roberts star who won Summit League Player of the Year last season, is the face of that exodus, but he’s not alone. Overall, 5 of the conference’s top 7 scorers from last season have actually discovered brand-new homes. 6 of the league’s nine groups lost a minimum of one of their top-two scorers from a year ago.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Former North Dakota State star Grant Nelson is at Alabama. Former St. Thomas(Minnesota) star Andrew Rohde is with Tony Bennett and Virginia. Former Kansas City stars RaeQuawndis Mitchell and Shemarri Allen are at Penn State and UCF, respectively. While the discussion about the transfer website has actually centered on its effect for Power 5 programs, it is conferences such as the Summit League that deal with significant volatility as a result of it. For all the top quality talent significant conference groups lose, they can get it back through recruiting and additions from the website. It’s more difficult for a mid-major program to change a veteran standout.That truth means mid-major coaches need to accept the possibility that one of their top players may end his profession in other places.” It’s constantly great to step back and say, in some ways, that’s a big compliment to the Summit League, the players and the coaches, that others acknowledge the really excellent basketball that’s played and the extremely gifted players who establish

a lot in time,” St. Thomas head coach Johnny Tauer stated.”When you look at what a few of the Top League players have had the ability to do after making the dive, it is truly excellent.”Now, I believe a great deal of players have likewise stayed because they acknowledge,’ How do I weigh being an included player and having the ball in my hands a lot and being on a truly fantastic group?'[ versus] going to the unknown.

… It’s our task to create experiences where the grass may not necessarily be greener.” The Kid is ready for! Get to Know @zekexmayo #GoJacks pic.twitter.com/5fYBIUiV54!.?.!— Jackrabbit Men’s Basketball (@GoJacksMBB) August 12, 2023 Mayo always wondered what it would resemble to play for a blue-blood program.Growing up in Lawrence, Kansas, he and his family rooted for the Kansas Jayhawks, similar to everybody else in his hometown. In high school, he grew into an all-state basketball player however not a skill yearned for by Power 5 programs such as Kansas. So he picked to go to South Dakota State in Brookings, where last season he

played point guard and balanced 18.2 points per game while connecting on 37% of his 3-point

efforts.” My point of view was situational for me: whether that was staying here and playing continuous, consistent 30, 35-minute games or if I were to move to a bigger school,”stated Mayo, who is balancing 19.5 PPG and 7.8 RPG this season.”Would I come off the bench or would I play 20, 25 minutes [per game] and not have the flexibility I do right now? “Over the summer, nevertheless, Mayo didn’t have to go into the transfer website to speak with potential suitors from high-major programs. Those schools, through assistant coaches or boosters, bent NCAA rules on recruiting restrictions, he said. Gamers should go into the portal before they can be contacted directly by schools, however the schools, according to Mayo, connected to his moms and dads, his trainer and people connected to him who may have his ear. For a boy who did not experience that hiring buzz in high school, the attention was appealing. “It’s clearly extremely tempting,” Mayo said.”You want to use television every night in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.”He also thought about the path of other Summit League players who made the very same relocations while he debated his options.Last week, Abmas hit the winning shot in Texas ‘win over Louisville in Madison Square Garden at the Empire Classic, which was broadcast on ESPN. In 2020-21 while at Oral Roberts, he led the country in scoring (24.5 PPG ), and his heroics in the Golden Eagles’Sweet 16 run that season– he scored 29 points in the preliminary versus Ohio State and 26 points in the 2nd round versus Florida– changed his nationwide profile. It likewise increased the number of Power 5 schools that looked for

him. For Abmas, getting in the transfer website and dedicating to Texas had to do with showing to himself– and others– that he could make a comparable effect at a Power 5 school and improve his possibilities at being drafted into the NBA.” It was simply sitting down with my family and taking a look at the position I was in,”Abmas said. “What would be best for my profession? My dream is to play in the NBA and I comprehended that dipping into a greater level against greater competition would be best, as far as putting me in that position. There is simply an expectation to win here.”ICYMI|Zeke Mayo is the newest member of the 1,000 point club! #GoJacks pic.twitter.com/Fyv3LGLhwm!.?.!— #GoJacks(@GoJacksSDSU)November 28, 2023 Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman, Mayo’s previous colleague, likewise moved in 2022, the year he won Summit League Player of the Year. He initially went into the NBA draft that year before withdrawing and selecting Creighton. He believes he made the best choice by moving. “Clearly, it stinks for the lower schools however with the way college athletics is trending, in basic, that’s simply the reality of it and I do not think there is really anything that you can do, “Scheierman said. “I loved my time at South Dakota State and the relationships with the coaches and players I had there will last a long period of time. I’m grateful for it.”Creighton head coach Greg McDermott’s group is led by players he recruited when they were in high school. The transfer website has used his team and others a possibility to include an instantaneous boost every offseason. It also, nevertheless, produces instability for every single team, no matter the level, he stated.”We’re still trying to develop it with young guys, best we can,”McDermott stated about his program. “We’ll plug in with transfers when you have to plug in. “Top stories of the week from Get unique access to countless premium posts a year from leading writers. – College football coaches of the year?” – 5 of NBA’s the majority of surprising starts “- Which area is tops

in men’s hoops?” More ESPN+content”Facing the prospective loss of his best player to the transfer website, South Dakota State head coach Eric Henderson kept it genuine with Mayo this summer season. Yes, Mayo had become an all-league skill with the tools to contend at a greater level. However he likewise matured since of the opportunities he had

on the flooring. At a Power 5 school, Mayo may be a supporting star rather of the lead function he takes pleasure in at South Dakota State, Henderson told him. Plus,

minimizing turnovers and developing as a leader were still challenges Mayo concurred he had to tackle.”You constantly want what is finest for each person and you

take a look at each circumstance and what is going to be best for Zeke and what are his goals and what is he searching for,”Henderson stated. “
To me, you have to take a look at it long term. [. I told him],’You had an excellent year but there were definitely

locations where you could continue to grow being the lead guard.'”However it was ultimately Mayo’s choice. And a summer season stint as a counselor at NBA All-Star Damian Lillard’s No Elite camp in Phoenix in August made him feel better about his choice. “It was substantial,”Mayo stated about his time with Lillard.” I had the chance to speak to him about being from a smaller sized school and putting myself out there and his technique to every day and how he built up his tradition and ended up being effective to where he is right now. It was a great chance for me, personally, just to hear his

experiences.” play 0:19 Zeke Mayo nails the 3-point shot vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles Zeke Mayo nails the 3-point shot vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles Mayo had multiple chances this summer season to move. However he delights in Brookings and the group around him– among the 3 Summit League groups that returned

every top player from last season– made a relocation less attractive.Last Wednesday, Mayo ended up with 16 points, eight rebounds, 4 helps and two steals in his group’s 65-54 win at Southern Miss, snapping a three-game losing streak for the Jackrabbits. While his 3-point portion is down compared to last year, he’s made 60%of his shots inside the arc.He’s likewise the leader of a South Dakota State team that got in the 2023-24 season with NCAA competition aspirations. And, despite the options that were readily available to him, he’s delighted with his decision to stay.”I seemed like I was under-recruited in high school, so my determination, my inspiration was to display myself and let other teams and other schools around the country understand what they missed out on,” Mayo said. “However I like my group, I like my coaches and I like this university.”