Travis Mays facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Travis Mays

Personal information
Born	(1968-06-19) June 19, 1968 (age 57) Ocala, Florida, U.S.
High school	Vanguard (Ocala, Florida)
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College	Texas (1986–1990)
NBA Draft	1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Pro career	1990–2002
Coaching career	2002–present
Career history
As player:
1990–1991	Sacramento Kings
1991–1993	Atlanta Hawks
1993	Rochester Renegade
1994–1995	Panionios
1995–1996	Ironi Ramat Gan
1996–1997	Tuborg Pilsener
1998–1999	Mabo Pistoia
1999–2002	Mens Sana 1871 Basket
As coach:
2002–2003	San Antonio Silver Stars (assistant)
2004–2007	Texas (assistant)
2007–2011	LSU (assistant)
2011–2012	Georgia (assistant)
2012–2016	Texas (associate HC)
2016–2021	SMU
Career highlights and awards
As player: NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1991) Greek League All-Star (1994 II) Greek All-Star Game 3-Point Shootout Champion (1994 II) 2× SWC Player of the Year (1989, 1990) 3× First-team All-SWC (1988–1990)
Career NBA statistics
Points	1,273 (11.1 ppg)
Rebounds	233 (2.0 rpg)
Assists	326 (2.8 apg)
Medals Men's Basketball Representing  United States Summer Universiade Gold 1989 Duisburg National team

Travis Cortez Mays (born June 19, 1968) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He was the head coach for the Southern Methodist University (SMU) women's team from 2016 to 2021. Travis Mays was chosen by the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 1990 NBA draft. He was the 14th player picked overall.

Born in Ocala, Florida, Mays played basketball for Vanguard High School. After high school, he went to the University of Texas to play for the Longhorns. After his time in the NBA, Mays played professional basketball in different leagues in Europe.

Playing Basketball: High School & College

Travis Mays attended Vanguard High School in Florida. He was a top student-athlete there. After high school, he joined the University of Texas basketball team.

The "BMW" Scoring Machine

During the 1989–90 basketball season, Mays and his teammates Lance Blanks and Joey Wright were known as "BMW – The Ultimate Scoring Machine." This nickname showed how well they scored points together. That year, their Longhorn team made it to the Elite Eight in the 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. This is a big achievement in college basketball.

Texas Longhorns Records

Travis Mays holds impressive records at the University of Texas. He is second in all-time scoring for the UT men's basketball team with 2,279 points. He is also second in scoring for the Southwest Conference. Mays was the first player to win the SWC Player of the Year award two times in a row.

He scored double-digit points in 100 out of 124 games he played. Mays was the only UT men's player to score more than 700 points in a season at the end of his college career. He scored 743 points as a junior and 772 points as a senior. As a senior, he averaged 24.1 points per game. In 2002, he was honored by being inducted into the UT Men's Athletics Hall of Honor.

Playing Basketball: Professional Career

The Sacramento Kings picked Travis Mays as the 14th player in the 1990 NBA draft. In his first year with the Kings, he played 64 games and averaged 14.3 points per game. Because of his great performance, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Time with the Atlanta Hawks

After one season with the Kings, Mays joined the Atlanta Hawks. Early in his second season with the Hawks, he got a serious injury. He ruptured both tendons in his right ankle, which meant he could not play for the rest of the season. He returned for his final NBA season the next year. Overall, Mays averaged 11.1 points per game during his NBA career.

Playing Overseas

After his time in the NBA, Travis Mays continued his professional basketball career overseas. He played in several countries, including Greece, Israel, Turkey, and Italy.

• In 1994, Mays played for the Greek club Panionios. He averaged 23.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in the Greek Basket League.
• He was chosen for the European All-Star Game.
• He led Panionios to the European Championship final eight, scoring 27.5 points per game in that tournament.
• From 1999 to 2001, he was a First Team All-Star for the Siena team in Italy.

Travis Mays retired as a player in 2002.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Travis Mays became a basketball coach.

Early Coaching Roles

From 2002 to 2004, Mays worked as an assistant coach and scout for the WNBA team, the San Antonio Silver Stars. He also coached boys' basketball for an AAU team in 2003.

From 2004 to 2007, he returned to his old college, the University of Texas. He was an assistant coach for the Texas Longhorns women's basketball team under head coach Jody Conradt. His main jobs were to help the guards improve their play and to recruit new players. He helped bring in talented players like Erika Arriaran and Brittainey Raven.

Coaching at Other Universities

After Coach Conradt retired, Mays became an assistant coach for the Louisiana State University women's team from 2007 to 2011. Then, he spent one year as an assistant coach for the University of Georgia women's basketball team.

From 2012 to 2016, he went back to the University of Texas again. This time, he was the associate head coach under the new head coach Karen Aston. In 2016, Travis Mays became the head coach for the SMU women's team. He coached at SMU for five seasons until March 8, 2021.

Career Achievements

As a Player

• Southwest Conference Player of the Year (1989, 1990)
• Three-year All-Southwest Conference (1987–1990)
• Inducted into the UT Men's Athletics Hall of Honor (2002)
• European All-Star (1994, 1995)
• First Team All-Star (Italy) 1999–2001

Personal Life

Travis Mays earned a degree in psychology from the University of Texas in 1990. He also gained Italian citizenship because his wife, Mirella, has Italian family roots.