Although there was little question, Buckeye fans can now welcome the newest
Buckeye to the Ohio State Nation. Sylvester Mayes has signed his national letter
of intent.
The 6-2 195-pound guard from Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla.
confirmed with Bucknuts on Wednesday evening that he is now official.
"My coach called me in this afternoon and we got it all done and
sent," Mayes said yesterday. "Then it was back off to class. It was
somewhat of a hectic day."
Through four games this season, Redlands is 4-0 on the season behind over 20
points a game by the sophomore. Mayes also is averaging six steals a game as
he's worked hard to become a defensive stopper in addition to his prolific
shooting ability.
"You've got to (work hard on defense)," Mayes commented.
"Defense wins games, and I want to be the best all-around player I can
be."
The native of South Bend, IN averaged 14 points a game last year as a
freshman sixth-man for Redlands as one of the top newcomers in the nation.
Mayes gave a verbal commitment to the Buckeyes back in the middle of
September and is glad to finally finalize everything.
"I felt really good (yesterday)," Mayes said. "Everyone was
congratulating me and everything. They were patting me on the back and saying
how proud they were I was going (to Ohio State)."
Although Mayes cannot get to play with his new teammates until the summer at
the earliest, he's excited about the thoughts of playing with them.
On his visit, Mayes was impressed with what he saw in some of the current
players, as well as the guy he will be coming into Ohio State with, Brayden Bell.
"Brayden is pretty good. He's coming out of high school but he's
definitely got some game. It's going to be fun playing with him," Mayes
said. "One of my friends from high school played with Je'Kel (at Chipola
last year). Je'Kel is a real good player too."
Mayes is excited to finish the season and begin his Ohio State career.
"I feel confident about what we can do (at Ohio State)," Mayes
concluded. "I like everything about the place I'm going to and I think
we're going to have a lot of fun together."