TUCSON, Ariz. – It all starts with one word when it comes to junior guard Jordin Mayes.
Confidence.
When he’s got it, he’s good. When he doesn’t, it's obvious.
It’s something that’s been absent in his game for most of the season.
But it appears as if he’s rediscovered it – and just in time for Arizona’s shot at the postseason with this week’s Pac-12 Conference tournament and next week’s NCAA tournament.
The Wildcats play the winner between Wednesday’s Colorado-Oregon State game at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the MGM Gardens in Las Vegas.
“I had a tough season shooting the ball and what not, but it’s just about staying confident in myself in and my game," Mayes said this week. "I just let my game do the talking.”
In the past couple of weeks, it’s gone from a whisper to a shout. Now, everyone wants to know why it took so long.
For Arizona coach Sean Miller, Mayes’ return has brought some much-needed depth and change of pace to the backcourt.
Mayes is averaging just 2.6 points and 11 minutes per game. But for the last month, Arizona guards Mark Lyons and Nick Johnson have run hot and cold, much like the team. So, any help is appreciated.
No one expects Mayes to be a cure-all for what ails Arizona, but if the last two games are any indication, Mayes can help. Against UCLA he had eight points in 13 minutes; on Saturday against Arizona State he had six points in 12 minutes. Nothing earth-shattering, but for Arizona’s purposes, a significant plus.
"It wasn't just fill-in 12 minutes - it was a productive 12 minutes," Miller said.
Shooting is an important part of what Mayes has to offer, but this season, his jumper went awry. He’s hit just 34.7 percent of his shots, including 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
But in the last two games, he’s gone 5 for 9 from the floor, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc.
“Just going out there and when you get open shots, have the confidence to shoot the ball," Mayes said about what he expects from himself. "As far as running the point guard, just getting my teammates involved, running the offense and making plays. But that’s about it. Just going out there and believing in myself and believing in my game.”
Mayes said much of his recent success has come from working hard in practice, finding the right rhythm and “transferring it from practice to the game.”
It wasn’t long ago freshman guard Gabe York overtook Mayes in the playing rotation, but most recently Mayes has retaken that role.
He’s doing it at the right time. And Miller is noticing.
"All these guys are young guys - they have (confidence), they lose it, they work hard to get it back," Miller said. "That's our job as a program and a staff that when one of our players is down that we can do whatever we can to pick him up. Jordin is playing with more confidence, and he's a more valuable player right now."
