Feature | 'The Mayo Effect' in Full Swing for Salukis Basketball

On January 25, with SIU down 82-80 and under a minute to go at UIC, Kennard Davis Jr. threw up a step-back three that fell short of the rim. Flames players watched the ball as it was seemingly headed out of play. But Damien Mayo Jr. immediately crashed the boards when the ball left Davis' hands. He evaded a box-out attempt, cradled the ball with one hand, and threw it off a Flame who was standing out of bounds before crashing into a videographer on the sidelines.

"That one just stands out so much more than the rest, in terms of, the play of the year for us," head coach Scott Nagy said.

For Mayo, he says he just saw the perfect opportunity to make a play for his team.

"The way it had bounced out of bounds, I thought 'Oh, this is perfect.' In my mind, I can get this, and when I dove out of bounds and I see the defender right there, I was like, 'I could just throw it off him'," he said. "When it happened, I knew I saved it…so I was just hyped at the time. It was so crucial, you know, we were all intense and I was just in the right place at the right time, honestly."

The play retained the possession for the Salukis and left Mayo temporarily shaken up. He wasn't on the floor for the ensuing play, but Davis drove into the lane and banked a layup that drew contact and a foul. Davis completed the three-point play as Mayo came back onto the court during his free throw attempt.

On the next defensive possession, he switched onto the Flames' Jordan Mason after a screen and forced a missed layup when Mason drove to the basket. Jarrett Hensley grabbed the rebound, and the Dawgs would go on to hold the lead and steal a road win against UIC.

Mayo didn't get credited statistically for anything that happened in that final minute in Chicago, but he made impactful, winning plays that aren't lost on his teammates or his coaching staff. During their home game against the Flames, Saluki Hall of Fame guard Chris Carr termed his impact on the Saluki Radio Network as 'the Mayo effect'. Nagy coined Mayo the team's most valuable player after their 79-67 victory over UIC. The junior guard does the things that embody what it means to be a Saluki.

"Everybody always wants to say the MVP is the leading scorer and that's just not the case. Very rarely is that the case in terms of how a coach looks at it," Nagy explained. "…Our culture, what we think is important, what helps win us games…You want to play, do what he [Mayo] does, you'll play."

Mayo is tied for sixth on the team in scoring (5.1 PPG) and has committed the most fouls (64). But his impact is felt in the totality of what he brings to the Dawgs, which can't be equated. Now, the coaching staff struggles to get him rest.

"It'd be nice if everybody did the dirty work, that's what you want. But yeah, I mean, there's always one guy. You know early on his focus was more on trying to be a better offensive player. And then he just got back to being who he is," Nagy said. "What we needed out of him were the things like what he did at UIC. Those kinds of things ... he started giving that to us. Now we can't take him off the floor unless he's tired."

After a coaching change at his previous school Missouri State, Mayo had to take a lot into account. When visiting SIU, he valued his education and being able to partake in the university's prestigious engineering program. Southern was also close to his family, just a couple hours away from his hometown in St. Louis. But he also felt welcome and comfortable, as the Salukis allowed him to be the authentic Damien Mayo Jr.

"It was just a loving environment. They brought me in, they wanted me to be myself, and they opened the doors to me. So it was just loving, and it was real, real cool," he shared.

Nagy says player development coach Darreon Reddick was familiar with Mayo from Reddick's time at Missouri S&T. With the player's leadership and toughness, he felt Mayo was someone they had to recruit.

The majority of college basketball players are more reserved, according to Nagy. But Mayo is the opposite by being a constant voice on the court for his teammates, to ensure everyone's in the correct positions at all times.

"He's more of the emotional, he keeps guys locked in, talks to them. I haven't had a lot of guys like him…," he said. "So many college basketball players are just so quiet, and they don't talk. He's very, very verbal, making sure everybody is where they're supposed to be."

Mayo appreciates the experience and wisdom that Nagy has, along with the trust he gives him to be the vocal leader when he's on the court.

"Coach Nagy is a great coach, he's been coaching for so long, you kind of forget how long he has been coaching. Overall he helps me understand the game more, and not necessarily learn new things, just learn what to do in certain situations," Mayo explained. "And with that being said, he trusts me to be that extension on the floor, be the coach on the floor, maintain the confidence within the team and just be myself. And that's why I appreciate him."

He instills confidence in his teammates that they cherish beyond belief. After redshirt freshman Drew Steffe dropped a season and career-high 20 points with four made three-pointers, he talked about Mayo's impact on him and the entire Salukis program.

"Mayo pushes the whole team…me especially, every day. He's been telling me for the last two months 'I need you to shoot the ball 10 times a game'. He has that much faith in me, and he brings so much energy that it doesn't show up on any stat sheet," Steffe told the Saluki Radio Network.

"But if you watch a game and you watch Damien Mayo get up and down, from his energy, from him being a coach on the floor, you can't explain it. You just have to be there, and you have to feel what it's like to be in the presence of somebody like him. I mean, he helps us so much, he flies around on the offensive end, he can guard one through five, it's so special to have him."

The key to being a leader is simple for Mayo. You have to walk the talk and the people around you will be inspired to do the same. He holds himself accountable and is a spark that everyone wearing a Saluki jersey will want to replicate. It creates a trickle-down effect where the players feed off of each other to grow individually and as a collective.

"I always say if you want to become a leader, you have to lead by example. And if I want to demand my teammates to do the little things like diving for loose balls, and get offensive rebounds. I can't sit here and be a hypocrite trying to make somebody do something while I'm not doing it myself," Mayo said. "So for me to lead by example and do those little things, put my body on the line, it's just how much I trust my teammates and how much I want to push them to become a better player."

As Mayo puts it, he's been playing 'high-level basketball' for a long time. The experiences that he's had from playing the sport he loves only give him a stronger drive to continue to want to compete for those around him.

"The biggest thing for me is learning that basketball is basketball at the end of the day. I learned that the biggest key is bringing the people along with you, creating those bonds, and creating the memories with the teammates," Mayo shared. "Growing up playing a game you've loved all your life, it's secondhand for me now, and growing up playing high-level basketball and playing it here [SIU] is just a blessing for me and a blessing to the people around me."

Sophomore guard Tyler Bey, who also attended Missouri State, and Mayo are the only new Saluki recruits that played in the Valley previously. When SIU started 0-5 in conference play, things could've spiraled for Southern. But Mayo believes the work they put in has allowed them to win seven of their next 10 games in the Valley, and he feels they must continue that preparation to finish the season strong.

"It means a lot for us. It is a testament to the team and what type of guys we are. Starting 0-5 is always tough. No team wants to start with five losses, in conference at that. So it was hard to deal with at the time, but I say every day, we persevered," Mayo said.

"We took it on the chin, and we worked hard every day to get to where we're at right now...We just have to stay locked in, stay grinding, keep our heads down, and keep working. We don't want to come back from 0-5, get here and sell again. Our biggest focus is maintaining the grit, toughness, and what we need to do to keep winning these games."

The preparation that Mayo has done to reach this point is what he credits, along with those around him. He's thankful to have the role he does, and the results of his influence are exemplified throughout SIU men's basketball.

"It's a blessing. I put in a lot of work, and I just feel like the work shows. And for me to have this type of impact on the team, and for me to even be a part of this team is a blessing for me," he shared. "Overall though, I say it's a testament to my teammates and my coaches. They allow me to be in the position to do the things that I do and help me set up the things that we're doing now. It's a blessing for me. I'm just happy to be in this position."

Written by Howard Woodard

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Feature | 'The Mayo Effect' in Full Swing for Salukis Basketball

Players Mentioned

Tyler Bey

Kennard Davis Jr.

Jarrett Hensley

Damien Mayo Jr.

Drew Steffe

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