South Dakota State guard Zeke Mayo (2) rebounds against Alabama during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

For South Dakota State point guard and Lawrence High alumnus Zeke Mayo, the expectations are high and they keep getting higher.

Mayo, two seasons removed from his days tearing up the court at LHS, is preparing for his third year of college ball after making himself a household name in Brookings, South Dakota, during his sophomore season. The All-Summit First Team selection dazzled fans with a team-high 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and had four double-doubles last season.

Mayo and the Jackrabbits (19-13, 13-5 Summit League) missed out on the NCAA Tournament this year, after having punched their ticket in 2022 for the first time in four years. But the former Chesty Lion was still at the center of a major turnaround. The Jackrabbits lost seven of their first 10 regular-season games but then went 12-4 to close the regular season before bowing out in the Summit League Championship semifinal against North Dakota State.

“We’ve built a chemistry and culture here that’s unmatched anywhere else,” Mayo said. “We know there’s not another team out there that can do special things like we can and like we did.”

One milestone performance by Mayo stood out from the rest — a 90-85 win over North Dakota State in early February, when he posted a career-high 41 points — the second-highest scoring total by a Jackrabbit in Frost Arena.

Mayo started all 32 games this past season, averaged a team-high 35.7 minutes per game and finished the year 42% from the field with double-digit scoring performances in all but three games. He also made the Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award watch list, putting him in a circle with the top mid-major players at the Division I level.

When asked about his individual accolades, Mayo said that “the biggest thing for me is winning.”

“If you win at a high level, then you’re going to get seen, no matter who it is, whether it’s an NBA scout or other universities, that can set you up for a bright future,” he said.

That was something Mayo took seriously during his time at LHS, too. He may have been an All-State ballplayer and a 2021 DiRenna Award recipient, but he got the championship itch after falling short of a state title during his senior season

Mayo credits a number of mentors for fostering his game, including Mike Lewis, who was his coach at LHS. Earlier this month, Lewis decided to step away from the program, and Mayo was one of the first alumni to get in touch with Lewis after the news of the coach’s departure broke.

“The things that he did over that period of time were just unreal,” Mayo said. “He set the record for the most (consecutive) state appearances, and I was just glad to be a part of that.”

photo by: Chance Parker

Lawrence senior Zeke Mayo hoists the Class 6A third place trophy following their 71-63 loss to Blue Valley North Thursday, March 11, 2021.

Of course, Mayo’s game has also been shaped by South Dakota State’s coach, Eric Henderson, who is in his fourth year and preaches the importance of high-tempo basketball.

“I don’t think there’s another coach in the country that I would rather play for at this moment,” Mayo said. “His energy, it doesn’t matter how early it is in the morning or how late at night it is — he brings it.”

That means summer is no time to slow down. Mayo and the program’s other veterans, including senior guards Matt Mims and Charlie Easley, expect every practice and every workout will be intense.

“It makes practices really competitive,” Mayo said. “That’s how we get better, bringing the best out of each other, and that’s what (Henderson) does for players like me.”

With the regular season now just over four months out, there’s no place — besides Lawrence — that Mayo would rather be.