photo by: AP Photo/John Peterson

South Dakota State's Zeke Mayo celebrates after scoring during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/John Peterson)

Zeke Mayo, a former Lawrence High standout and the reigning Summit League player of the year, announced Tuesday on social media that he plans to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft while also retaining collegiate eligibility and entering the transfer portal.

Mayo, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard, just completed his third season at South Dakota State, where he led the Jackrabbits to the NCAA Tournament and averaged 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

“I would like to thank my coaches and teammates for bringing me in with open arms and helping me succeed in the yellow and blue for the past 3 years,” he wrote in a post on X. “Your role in this process is as important as anything. Lastly, to Jackrabbit Nation, the feeling of love and support I’ve received from each one of you has been tremendous … This program and community has set a standard that will last for a lifetime and I’m so thankful to be a part of it.”

Prior to the 2023-24 season, Mayo had also spoken highly of the SDSU program, which ended up making the tournament in two of his three years in Brookings.

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

He also discussed extensively with ESPN in November his choice not to transfer following his sophomore year, despite receiving the sorts of opportunities and accolades that prompt many mid-major players to do so.

“My way of thinking was situational for me: whether that was staying here and playing continuous, consistent 30, 35-minute games or if I were to transfer to a bigger school,” he told ESPN. “Would I come off the bench or would I play 20, 25 minutes (per game) and not have the freedom I do right now?”

As noted in the ESPN story, Mayo grew up a Kansas fan, and rumors that he might transfer in the lead-up to Tuesday certainly drew the interest of the online KU community.

That includes one-time LHS running back and current KU star Devin Neal, who was with the Lions when Mayo became LHS’ first-ever DiRenna Award recipient. Neal has expressed great interest in the possibility of his former classmate joining KU. For example, he posted on X on March 14, “Needs to be,” in response to a suggestion that Mayo could be a future Jayhawk.