The Kansas Jayhawks disappointed in the NCAA Tournament, losing in the second round in a blowout defeat to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. But on Tuesday, the program made a big move to help build up its roster for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
South Dakota State guard Zeke Mayo shined this past season, averaging 18.8 points 5.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on the year. This was enough for him to be named the Summit League Player of the Year. Mayo also helped lead the Jackrabbits to the NCAA Tournament.
Simply put, Mayo was one of the best mid-major players in the country, and has been for the last two seasons. And on Tuesday, he officially made the move to transition from mid-major basketball to Power Five basketball in the Big 12.
Mayo took to social media to announce that he has committed to play for Kansas and head coach Bill Self.
A homecoming like no other. Lawrence, KS, let’s rock. 💙❤️ #committed pic.twitter.com/Y4WkpUOO32
— Zeke Mayo (@zekexmayo) April 2, 2024
It’s a pretty natural landing spot for Mayo. He played his high school basketball at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kansas, which is of course minutes from the University of Kansas campus.
Many of the issues from Kansas this past season were from a lack of perimeter scoring. Bringing in a player like Mayo, who is a career 39 percent three-point shooter, should go a long way of fixing that problem in a huge way.
It’s never guaranteed that a mid-major player like Mayo will translate well to a higher level of competition. But on the surface, this move could certainly help Kansas return as a college basketball powerhouse like they have been in recent years.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.