Kansas basketball’s Zeke Mayo made statement vs. NC State: ‘I can play on any level’

Kansas guard Zeke Mayo says he isn’t concerned by what the average person thinks about his play.

It’s a mindset the South Dakota State transfer had before the start of KU’s season. And it’s served him well.

Mayo has looked the most comfortable — and been the most consistent — of the five transfer guards the Jayhawks added this offseason (who are currently playing).

He dropped 26 points in KU’s 75-60 win over NC State on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse. The win snapped the Jayhawks’ two-game losing skid.

Afterward, Mayo shared a message for anyone who had lost faith in him — or Kansas.

“I’m going to let the people talk outside of our team,” Mayo said. “That really has nothing to do with me. I’m going to keep my focus on the circle that we have going on here in the locker room. I’m not necessarily worried about the outside noise. Obviously, people are going to have their opinion and doubt us.

“Especially this week, we were doubted the entire week just because we lost those two games in a row. Coming out here and proving I can play on any level, I feel I am going to continue to do that.”

For Mayo, this game was important. He hadn’t scored more than 15 points since KU’s win over North Carolina on Nov. 11. It was also his first time scoring above that threshold as a starter.

“I was just a little bit out of a groove there for a while,” he said. “I can be honest about that. Losing those two games, it was a bit rough. Just coming out here and continuing to play — (it was important to) not worry about whether a shot goes in or not. Continuing to play my game. I know my teammates trust me to go out there and make plays.”

That trust was clearly illustrated on a play early in the first half. Mayo passed the ball to center Hunter Dickinson, who neared a triple-double on Saturday, relocated and received a perfect pass in stride. Mayo then knocked down a 3-pointer.

“We had actually been working on plays similar to that,” Dickinson said. “When you’ve got a guy like Zeke who is so high IQ and he’s just a basketball player, he makes the right reads. He threw it in and his man turned his head (and) he relocated. That’s just a basketball play.”

Plays like that illustrate how important Mayo is to KU’s championship aspirations.

He’s also seemed to figure out the balance between aggression and letting the game come to him.

When NC State seemed within striking distance, Mayo scored six straight points to give KU some breathing room and force an NC State timeout. It’s precisely what KU will need from the Lawrence native as the games get tougher in conference play.

Slowly but surely, Mayo has looked more and more comfortable of late. He pointed to the summertime when he felt he gained the trust of his teammates.

“It’s been there,” Mayo said. “It obviously hasn’t reached its potential yet, but it’s been there for quite some time. Once I stepped into the locker room and the gym, it felt like it was home. I’m playing around great talent, obviously, All-American big and could be an All-American point guard (Dajuan Harris).”