Clyde Mayes

Clyde Mayes

Personal information
Born	(1953-03-17)March 17, 1953 Greenville, South Carolina,U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school	Wade Hampton (Greenville, South Carolina)
College	Furman(1972–1975)
NBA draft	1975:2nd round, 22nd overall pick
Selected by theMilwaukee Bucks
Playing career	1975–1989
Position	Power forward
Number	34, 22
Career history
1975–1976	Milwaukee Bucks
1976	Indiana Pacers
1976	Buffalo Braves
1977	Portland Trail Blazers
1977–1981	Mecap Vigevano
1981–1983	Stade Français
1983–1984	Binova Bergamo
1984–1985	Jollycolombani Cantù
1985–1987	Bàsquet Manresa
1988–1989	Pamesa Valencia
Career highlights and awards
Third-teamAll-American–AP(1975) 2×SoCon Player of the Year(1974, 1975) No. 34retired by Furman Paladins
Statsat NBA.com
Statsat Basketball-Reference.com

Clyde Clauthen Mayes Jr.(born March 17, 1953)is an American former professionalbasketballplayer. He played in both theNational Basketball Association(NBA) and in Europe for various teams.His international career took him to Italy, France and Spain over the course of 12 years. At 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall and weighing 225 pounds, Mayes primarily played thepower forwardposition.

Basketball career

College

Mayes grew up inGreenville, South Carolinaand played basketball atWade Hampton High Schoolin his hometown.In the fall of 1971, Mayes enrolled atFurman University,also located in Greenville.National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) rules at the time prohibited collegefreshmenfrom competing on their schools' varsity sports teams, so Mayes had to play for the Furman freshman basketball team.When he became eligible during hissophomoreseason in 1972–73, Mayes ended up playing in 29 games while averaging 15.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.ThePaladinsfinished as theSouthern Conferenceregular season runners-up (toDavidson) but won theSouthern Conference Tournament championship.They qualified for the1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournamentbut lost toSyracusein the first round, 83–82.

The following season, Mayes was the star on a team that finished 22–9, including 11–1 in conference play, en route to conference regular season and tournament championships.He averaged 17.3 points and 13.0 rebounds on the year, and Furman would once again qualify for theNCAA Tournament.They finished in fourth place in the East Region, losing toProvidence,95–83, to end their season, after losing to Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) in the Sweet 16, 81-78. After the season, Mayes was honored as theSouthern Conference Player of the Year.

As aseniorin 1974–75, Mayes led the Paladins to second and third consecutive conference regular season and tournament championships, respectively, as well as a third straightNCAA Tournamentberth (they lost in the second round toBoston College).Furman compiled a 22–7 overall record, including a perfect 12–0 conference record.In the 2009 book,ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game,the 1974–75 team was named the best in the program's history.It was led by Mayes, who repeated at the Southern Conference Player of the Year and also honored as a Third Team All-American by theAssociated Press.He averaged 21.1 points and 13.5 rebounds for the year,but he also had a stellar supporting cast. Fessor "Moose" Leonard was a 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)centerwho averaged 15.5 points per game, and 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Craig Lynch provided a strong defensive presence.

The personal accolades for Mayes kept coming, as he was named the Southern Conference Athlete of the Year, which is an award given to an athlete in the conference irrespective of sport or season.In 2010,The Charlotte Observerlisted Mayes as one of the five best men's basketball players in the Southern Conference during the 1970s.

Professional

After Mayes' collegiate career ended, theMilwaukee Bucksselected him as the 22nd overall pick in the1975 NBA draft.He played in 65 games for the Bucks as arookiein1975–76.Just prior to the start of the1976–77season he was waived. For the remainder of the season, Mayes was temporarily signed and released by three different teams—theIndiana Pacers,Buffalo BravesandPortland Trail Blazers—and appeared in no more than five games for any of them.He decided that he would have greater success overseas, and so starting in the 1977–78 basketball season Mayes found himself playing in Italy.

Over the course of the next 12 seasons, Mayes played for teams in Italy, France and Spain.In 1983–84 he was named an All-Star inLegadue Basketwhile playing forAlpe Bergamo.