The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Assistant Coach Travis Mays
02.25.2005 | Women's Basketball
Full Name: Travis Mays
Date of Birth: June 19, 1968
Hometown: Ocala, Florida
High School: Vanguard HS
College: University of Texas, 1986-90
Travis Mays, the number two scorer in UT men's basketball history and a former NBA player, joined Jody Conradt's staff in May of 2004 as an assistant coach.
Mays, 35, played at UT from 1986-90 and helped resurrect Longhorns basketball in the latter years of the South-west Conference. He spent the 2002 and 2003 WNBA seasons coaching and scouting for the San Antonio Silver Stars franchise. He was assistant coach during the 2002 season and spent the last year as head scout for the Silver Stars. He also coached AAU boys' basketball for the Tennessee/ Alabama "Pump" team in the summer of 2003.
In announcing his hiring, Conradt noted that "Travis is a wonderful addition to our staff. He has a tremendous passion for basketball and a great love for The University. Travis has varied experience and knowledge as a player at all levels and as a WNBA coach. He excelled on the court at every level, and, as Longhorns fans know, starred at UT during the 1980's and was an NBA first-round draft pick.
"I honestly don't know if we could have a more dedicated ambassador for UT. Selling our University and our basketball program to the young recruits is of extreme importance, and his court knowledge will assist us greatly," Conradt concluded.
Inducted into the UT Men's Athletics Hall of Honor in 2002, Mays was an Associated Press Second Team All-American as a senior. He ranks second in UT men's basketball all-time scoring (2,279 points) and also is second in Southwest Conference all-time scoring. Mays' career scoring average was 18.4 ppg. He was the first player in SWC history to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior (in 1989 and 1990). Mays led Texas to the 1990 NCAA Elite Eight, scoring 24.1 ppg.
A first-round NBA draft pick in 1990 by the Sacramento Kings, chosen 14th overall, Mays spent three years in the NBA with the Kings (1991) and the Atlanta Hawks (1991-93). He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, averaging 14.3 ppg in his first pro season.
His pro career extended to European basketball as he played in Greece, Israel, Turkey and Italy. Highlights of Mays' European career include selection to the Europen All-Star Game, leading Panionious (Greece) to the European Championship final eight with 27.5 ppg, and First Team All-Star selection (1999-2001) on Italy's Siena squad.
Mays scored in double-figures in 100 of 124 career games, and is the only UT men's player in history to score more than 700 points in a season; he did that with 743 points as a junior and 772 as a senior.
A native of Ocala, Florida where he was a scholastic All-America standout at Vanguard HS, Mays holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from UT. Mays resides in Austin, with his wife, Mirella, and daughter, Cherrell, 11.
