Clyde Clauthen Mayes Jr. (born March 17, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played in both the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) and in Europe for various teams. His international career took him to Italy, France and Spain over the course of 12 years. At tall and weighing 225 pounds, Mayes primarily played the

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

position.

Basketball career

College

Mayes grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and played basketball at Wade Hampton High School in his hometown. In the fall of 1971, Mayes enrolled at Furman University, also located in Greenville.

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) rules at the time prohibited college

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from competing on their schools' varsity sports teams, so Mayes had to play for the Furman freshman basketball team. When he became eligible during his sophomore season in 1972–73, Mayes ended up playing in 29 games while averaging 15.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. The

Paladins The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...

finished as the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...

regular season runners-up (to Davidson) but won the Southern Conference Tournament championship. They qualified for the

1973 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1973 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA University Division (now Division I, created later in 1973) college basketball. It b ...

but lost to Syracuse in 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 the NCAA Tournament. They finished in fourth place in the East Region, losing to Providence, 95–83, to end their season. After the season, Mayes was honored as the Southern Conference Player of the Year. As a senior in 1974–75, Mayes led the Paladins to second and third consecutive conference regular season and tournament championships, respectively, as well as a third straight NCAA Tournament berth (they lost in the second round to Boston 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 the

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. 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

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

who averaged 15.5 points per game, and 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 Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...

'' listed Mayes as one of the five best men's basketball players in the Southern Conference during the 1970s.

Professional

After Mayes' collegiate career ended, the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

selected him as the 22nd overall pick in the

1975 NBA draft The 1975 NBA draft was the 29th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 29, 1975, before the 1975–76 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players a ...

. He played in 65 games for the Bucks as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

in . Just prior to the start of the season he was waived. For the remainder of the season, Mayes was temporarily signed and released by three different teams—the Indiana Pacers,

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball franchise based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division from 1970 ...

and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

—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 in

Legadue Basket Serie A2, known for sponsorship reasons as Serie A2 Old Wild West, is a men's basketball league in Italy. It constitutes the second-tier of the Italian league pyramid, below the first division LBA and above the third division Serie B, with pro ...

while playing for

Alpe Bergamo The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayes, Clyde 1953 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from South Carolina Buffalo Braves players Furman Paladins men's basketball players Indiana Pacers players Liga ACB players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Greenville, South Carolina Valencia Basket players