Ready To Cook: Hudson Mayes could be one hot Lobo basketball standout
The lineage is unquestionably stellar.
The grandson of a former pro basketball star and the son of athletic, model parents -- figuratively and literally -- Hudson Mayes was born and raised to be a standout.
On and off the court.
The super-bright, super-athletic, well-spoken Mayes should be a fan favorite of the University of New Mexico men's basketball team this season.
"Hudson's a really talented guy," says Lobo second-year coach Eric Olen. "He's a terrific athlete, a good player on both ends, a great rebounder from the guard position, which we really value. He's really got a mature approach for such a young guy. It's been a seamless transition from his previous school."
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Mayes transferred from UC San Diego and enters his sophomore year at UNM. Olen tried to recruit Mayes when the coach was in San Diego, and he tried again last year when Mayes went into the portal.
"It didn't work out the first two times," Olen says. "The third time was the charm."
Thus far, Mayes has been a charm for the Lobos -- and has been charmed by the Land of Enchantment.
"I love it out here," says the Los Angeles product. "And I'm really looking forward to playing in here," he says while looking around the Pit during last week's open practice.
"The fans are going to love him," says Lobo sophomore guard Uriah Tenette. "He gets downhill quickly, is physical, fast and athletic. He's a capable shooter as well and is really good with the ball in his hands."
And off the court?
"He's a great guy," Tenette says. "We hang out all the time. He's a super guy."
Mayes averaged 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game last season at San Diego.
Mayes is far from the first athletic standout from his family. His grandfather, Roger Brown, was a star in the old ABA for the Indiana Pacers and his dad, Derrick Mayes, was an all-American receiver at Notre Dame who had a solid five-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and briefly with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Derrick won a Super bowl with the Pack and had his best season in 1999 with Seattle, catching 62 passes for 829 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is now a CEO for LA business JumpShot.
Mayes mother, Gayle, is a model and actor in LA.
"I owe my upbringing to my parents," Hudson says. "I definitely want to start my own business someday; be an entrepreneur. I have a lot of hobbies and a lot of aspirations, My dad's a CEO, so he's pretty much paved the way for me. My mom is in business with acting and modeling, so I just want to take all of their skills from being around them, learn them and use them to the best of my ability."
Olen says "Hudson is super bright, and has a bright future in and out of basketball."
Mayes had a 3.9 grade point average in high school and 3.7 at "a tough academic school in college." He says he plans to study business administration at UNM having studied international business at San Diego.
Among his main hobbies is cooking.
"Asian dishes, that's my go-to," he says. "Fried rice, steamed dumplings. But food is a passion of mine. I love cooking, traveling and trying just about everything; trying new things,"
Which begs the obvious Nuevo Mexico question, right Hudson?
"Yep, he says with a grin. 'Red or green?'
"So far, I think I'm a green chile guy."
Green, however, he's not when it comes to maturity.
While Hudson hopes to someday play in the NBA, he says he plans on getting that business degree and eventually combining it with his passion for food and travel.
An international chef, perhaps?
"Maybe," he says "I want to have a couple of restaurants, maybe even internationally, and start by opening my own restaurant.
"I definitely want to be an entrepreneur on the culinary side. I think I can do that, even if I'm playing basketball and, God willing, if I make it to the NBA."
