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Travis Mays was named an assistant coach for the Lady Bulldogs in May 2011. Mays, who is one of the greatest players in University of Texas history, has nine seasons of coaching experience in women's professional and college basketball and has developed a reputation as one of the nation's premier recruiters.
"Coach Mays is both widely respected in our profession as an outstanding recruiter, floor coach and person," Andy Landers said. "Not only will he bring that expertise to our staff, he brings a high level of commitment and energy. His experiences both as a player...and he was an outstanding one...and as a coach will be invaluable. I've known Travis for quite some time and have always been impressed with his work."
After spending two seasons on the staff of the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars, Mays returned to his alma mater in 2004 and served as an assistant coach under Jody Conradt for three years from 2004-07. He has spent the past four campaigns as an assistant coach at LSU working with Van Chancellor.
"There were a number of things that made Georgia very attractive," Mays said. "First, the success of the program and the streak Georgia has of making the NCAA Tournament resonates nationally. I'm excited about the opportunity to remain in the SEC. I love the talent, the talent pool and athletes in the Southern states. And then you talk about Coach Landers. In visiting with him, he's very, very clear in what he wants in the next year and the next several years as far as recruiting players and the players we need to play the style of basketball he wants to play."
Mays has helped ink a combined seven McDonald's and/or WBCA All-Americans for Texas and LSU, including Erika Arriaran, the 2005 WBCA and Parade Magazine National Player of the Year. All seven of the recruiting classes Mays helped assemble were ranked among the nation's top-25, including four top-10 efforts and the No. 1 class in the nation for Texas in the fall of 2004.
Mays was inducted into UT's Men's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. He is still No. 2 among the Longhorns' career scoring leaders with 2,279 points and was the first player to earn back-to-back Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors in 1989 and 1990.
As a senior, Mays was a second-team Associated Press All-American. He averaged 24.1 points per game and led Texas to the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. Included in that NCAA run was a 44-point outburst against Georgia in the first round that still ranks 14th-most all time in "March Madness" history. His 24 free throws made and 27 attempts at the line versus the Bulldogs remain NCAA Tournament records.
Mays was drafted by Sacramento with the No. 14 overall pick in the first round of the 1990 NBA Draft and was a second-team All-Rookie selection after averaging 14.3 ppg.
Mays then played two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, rupturing two tendons in his right foot. He recovered and enjoyed a successful eight-season career overseas in Greece, Israel, Turkey and Italy.
A native of Ocala, Fla., he received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas in 1990. Mays and his wife, Mirella, have two children: daughter Cherrell, a freshman at Texas; and son, Trevor, 4.
