Connect with us

In one-and-done world, Julius Mays showing value of experience

Julius Mays - photo by Tammie Brown | WildcatWorld.com

Julius Mays – photo by Tammie Brown | WildcatWorld.com

If you like your sports splashed with a dash of irony, one need look no farther than what fifth-year senior Julius Mays did in Rupp Arena last week for the one college basketball program in the country most closely identified with one-and-done players.

In two games in which defeat would have likely doomed Kentucky’s flickering aspirations for an NCAA Tournament bid, a guy whose college career began when George W. Bush was President answered UK’s SOS (save our season) call.

With UK clinging to a 61-59 lead against Vanderbilt last Wednesday, Mays, the shooting guard working at his third Division I school, beat an expiring shot clock with a dagger of a three-pointer. The shot put Kentucky up 64-59 and gave the Cats enough momentum to survive 74-70.

Related Topics

Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.

On This Day in UK Basketball History

On April 2, 2011, Kentucky made its 14th Final Four appearance in school history. The Wildcats faced Connecticut in the semifinal matchup, falling 55-56 to the eventual 2011 NCAA Champion.

 

On April 2, 2012, the Wildcats brought home the school’s eighth national championship after posting a 67-59 win over the Kansas Jayhawks in the title game. National Player of the Year Anthony Davis tallied only six points, but he earned Final Four Most Outstanding after pulling down 16 rebounds, blocking six shots and dishing out a game-high five assists. The Wildcats held the Jayhawks to 35.5 percent from the field, while outrebounding KU 43-35.

 

Wildcats Born on This Date

April 2, 1880

John Vogt

April 2, 1992

Brian Long
32 Brian Long

More in Kentucky Basketball