Mayers biggest scoring game of the tournament came against Wisconsin in the second round. 44) and wing Ty Rodgers (No. Really, there wasnt anything I didnt like about it. He is viewed as perhaps the top transfer on the market and could help a program make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament next season. May 3, 2022 at 2:59 PM. So its really about seeing what their program is about and what the players on their team and their coaches are about. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA By ADAM ZAGORIA Baylor's Matthew Mayer is headed to Illinois.. After withdrawing from the NBA Draft, the 6-foot-9 senior announced Friday he will transfer to Illinois, choosing the Illini over North Carolina and other suitors. You have permission to edit this article. June 22, 2021 8:17 am ET. UNC star Armando Bacot even took to Twitter to try and recruit Mayer, tweeting Dont make me come kidnap you bro, you know wassup. This might peak the interest of the former Baylor forward, after seeing the success that Brady Manek had after he transferred from Oklahoma to the Tar Heels last season to finish out his collegiate career. Click here for the Matthew Mayer bio on the Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball website. 93 by 247Sports in the 2018 class, No. Posted 14 points and added five rebounds in 16 minutes . But Mayer, whom Illinois head coach Brad Underwood recruited while at Oklahoma State, didnt take any visits during his second recruitment, completing all communication on the phone and via Zoom. Source -- Matthew Mayer to withdraw from NBA draft, return to Baylor After winning a national title with a dominant Baylor team in 2021, Mayer now has a handful of options in front of him as he enters his final year of collegiate eligibility. They face the #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs in their next game. It wasnt Id say an easy decision, but it became apparent its what I wanted to do.. Being a part of a winning culture and a championship team is something I will never forget and something thats allowed me to prepare for the next step. Breaking down the best high school basketball trio right now, The 25 biggest 'What ifs' of the past 25 seasons, ACC, CW ink deal to air 50 football, hoops games, SEC extends 'visionary' Sankey through 2028, NCAA tourney possible expansion 'not imminent', ESPN's Dick Vitale says he has vocal cord cancer, Huggins calls resignation letter 'false statement', 7-3 prospect Zikarsky commits to NBL Next Stars, Embattled ex-NMSU coach hired by junior college, Ranking the top 25 recruits regardless of class: A familiar name at No. Copyright 2017-22 Heartland College Sports. Follow us on Facebook! Probably somewhat similar role to Baylor but hopefully more minutes.. 1, Transfer rankings: Where the top 100 players are going, and who's still available, Men's college basketball rosters: Comings and goings for 2023-24, Universities, NCAA see pros and cons of new state NIL laws, Source: SDSU plans to remain in Mountain West, IRS: Some nonprofit NIL groups may not qualify, Coaches split on NCAA tournament expansion. Im excited to announce I will be entering my name into the 2022 NBA Draft, while retaining my college eligibility.. I think Im going to be playing more of the three than the four because theyre actually kind of a big team, which is totally fine. Mayer was a consensus four-star recruit, according to major recruiting services. For me, it wasnt so much about the facility and seeing the campus; it was a business decision at this point because this is my career and this is what I want to do professionally, Mayer said. 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I already cleaned it up for the draft process, Mayer said on The Matt Mosely Show on KRZI ESPN Central Texas on Friday. Baylor guard Matthew Mayer (24) blocks the shot of Wisconsin forward Micah Potter (11) in a second-round game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament on March 21, 2021, at Hinkle . I obviously didnt want to disrespect Coach [Scott] Drew or Baylor in any way because I have nothing but respect for everybody over there. The Matthew Mayer Effect - 247Sports [5] Mayer averaged 8.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. During a recent conversation with Good Sports Media, Mayer explained how his decision was fueled by multiple factors, both personal and spiritual. Mayer was among the 69 prospects expected to attend the NBA draft combine this week in Chicago, Illinois. Baylor defeated Gonzaga 86-70 in the national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 5, 2021. He rebounds now and can lock guys . Illini sign Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer - The Edwardsville Intelligencer Aaron Mathew is a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. (AP Photo/Ray Carlin), Baylor guard Matthew Mayer (24) high fives teammate guard James Akinjo (11) following made basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, in Waco, Texas. Baylor guard, and NCAA champion, Matthew Mayer announced on Monday that he will withdraw his name from the NBA draft and return to school for his senior season. Mayer was a key cog of the last two Baylor teams, which combined to go 55-9 (27-5 Big 12) the last two seasons and won two Big 12 championships and the 2021 NCAA Tournament championship. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Kevin C. 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I was just actually in Illinois for a month doing the pre-draft stuff, so I know a lot about the state. Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports. Mayer spoke with Adam Zagoria and stated Ive decided that Im coming back to college but dont know where., The Baylor forward gave his thanks to the Bears when announcing his decision to enter the draft process back on April 22nd writing, Thank you to everyone at Baylor and the amazing fans for the last four years. Matthew Mayer played at Baylor from 2018-22. TODAY Sports. Seems as a certainty that Akinjo, Sochan and Brown are all going to continue with the draft (Akinjo and Sochan have hired agents - not sure if they are the "allowed" agents or if they have already . During his time at Baylor, the 69 forward provided a spark off the bench his first three seasons before earning his role as a starter his senior year. Former Baylor forward Matthew Mayer has reportedly narrowed his transfer options to four programs, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium. We do chapel before every game; it fires us up, but it calms us down at the same time. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua picked up two quick fouls. Last season, Mayer started all 33 games for a Baylor team that earned a second consecutive No. Their team has been clicking well so far, and they will be hoping they can pull off the upset. He scored two points with two rebounds, one assist and one steal. The Illini also added a top-10 prep recruiting class, which includes three top-50 prospects, according to 247Sports: guard Skyy Clark (No. Mayer entered the NBA Draft with the option to retain his collegiate. 31), guard Jayden Epps (No. Matthew Mayer decided to enter the NBA Draft after the 2021-22 season at Baylor. Baylors Matthew Mayer transfers to Illinois, Big 12 Media Days: Baylor looks to be at their best when it matters most, Dave Campbells historic items up for grabs in estate sale, Midway launching new sports officiating class. He averaged 8.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 16 minutes per game for Baylor, which won the national . Jonathan Givony is an NBA Draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams. Skyy Clarks going to be a top point guard. I played the three at Baylor too. They have had impressive wins against two top sides in Kansas and WVU already. I liked the Christian environment too, thats something I really liked. Former Baylor forward Matthew Mayer told Adam Zagoria of Zags Blog that he will withdraw from the 2022 NBA draft and transfer to a different program for next season. But Illinois, they got everything. So this is their toughest game so far as well. Mayer and his roommate Jared Butler have been on the two best teams in Baylor history Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports Mayer played high school basketball 14 minutes from Texas, and his mother . Matthew Mayer, a veteran guard for Baylor, has entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to a report from ESPNs Jonathan Givony. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. He averaged 9.8 points, five rebounds, 1.2 steals and one assist on 40.9 . While playing at Baylor, Matthew Mayer was known for his hair. You see how you can really be a pro., Playing 30 minutes will be nice, but I feel at some point Ill be able to do that here. Teammate Mark Vital praised his length, athleticism and skill, but Mayer hasn't taken the game quite as seriously as necessary until this season. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. Get the latest Mizzou sports news from Dave Matter!. The former Baylor wing forward announced the decision Friday night in a social. So it was, it just looked like an awesome decision for me., Baylor guard Matthew Mayer cuts down the net after the championship game against Gonzaga in the men's Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 5, 2021, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Baylor star is declaring for the draft while also maintaining his college eligibility, he announced via Instagram Friday. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. A players individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student. He explained why he left Baylor on The Matt Mosely Show in May 2022. A star on the 2021 national championship decided to transfer to Illinois for his fifth-year. If there was a term to describe the 2022 Iowa State football team, it would have been Close but no cigar. The ARLINGTON, Texas Oklahoma is coming off a 6-7 season in Brent Venables first season, their first losing campaign since 1998. The 2023 NCAA Softball Tournament is underway as we head into Super Regionals on Thursday, May 25. Once a players name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Cumulus and the Big 12 are not affiliated with this website. [6] In his senior season, Mayer started all 33 games and averaged 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Mayer averaged 9.8 points, five rebounds, 1.2 steals and one assist on 40.9% shooting from the field in 33 games last season. View this post on Instagram. Predictions, Full Spectrum Services LLP 2022 | All Rights Reserved. Hes a great player that Ive been playing against since I was a sophomore. Here's a look at Matthew Mayer, the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball forward and transfer from Baylor. Matthew Mayer (@MatthewMayer24) / Twitter Mayer, a 6-foot-9 junior, was ranked as the No. Growth, maturity propel the junior during Baylor's stellar season", "Matthew Mayer Makes His Mark at Baylor, Final Four", "Baylor's Matthew Mayer declares for NBA draft, maintains college eligibility", "Baylor's Matthew Mayer transfers to Illinois", "Tracking where the top undrafted free agents who did not hear their names called in the 2023 NBA Draft have signed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matthew_Mayer&oldid=1164405343, Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 9 July 2023, at 03:47. Mayer spoke with Adam Zagoria and stated "I've decided that I'm coming back to college but don't know where." "I just loved the staff, great team, great NIL and winning program last 3 years," he said. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez), Baylor guard Matthew Mayer looks to fire up the crowd during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, in Waco, Texas. Matthew Mayer (born September 23, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets' Summer League team of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mayer's biggest issue has been his maturity. Matthew Mayer will bring a lot to Illinois basketball. Mayer, who has one year of eligibility remaining,. Mayer thought he fit in nicely with that group, likely taking a larger role than he had at Baylor the last two seasons. Similar to the Bears, the Bulldogs are also 3-0 currently. They have a deep rotation, which is talented from 1 to 9. Ex-Baylor forward Matthew Mayer announced his transfer to Illinois in an Instagram on Friday. During the 2020-21 cycle, 2,626 FBS football players entered the transfer portal (including walk-ons).