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Mayen Born to Compete

02 Sep
9 mins read
Professional basketball is a competitive industry. Players who haven’t got ambition and desire built into the core of their being don’t get far in this game.

By Dan Woods - NBL Media
Photo - Gordon Greaves / Cairns Basketball

Professional basketball is a competitive industry. Players who haven’t got ambition and desire built into the core of their being don’t get far in this game. Lucky for Lat Mayen, he was born that way.

Mayen arrived back on Australian shores this year after a successful college career with Texas Christian University, Chipola College and the University of Nebraska. His incredible showings for the Cairns Marlins in NBL1 North well and truly hammered home his potential.

He comes to a Cairns Taipans side looking to rebuild after a disappointing campaign last season, and joins the likes of Bul Kuol and fellow new signing Sam Waardenburg in an exciting young Taipans' core determined to take the club forward.

That streak of competitiveness Mayen was born with is still there. On a recent interview with The Huddle, Taipans coach Adam Forde alluded to the ‘different’ types of sessions he was putting on to kick-start pre-season, including pilates, yoga, and boxing.

According to the Tapians’ boss, Mayen was the most impressive player in the boxing ring and looked to be “offended” when his opponents couldn’t match his intensity or will to win.

Mayen says he learned how to approach competition by observing his siblings as he grew up.

“Ever since I can remember I’ve been ultra-competitive,” Mayen told NBL Media. “I’ve got seven brothers and one sister and I’m the youngest. I’ve grown up watching them compete.

“I’ve wanted to follow in my older brothers’ and cousins’ footsteps. It doesn’t matter if it’s yoga, pilates, boxing, on-court stuff, whatever. I want to get it done.

“It’s all translating onto the court. The whole group is really intense. The intensity level, energy and speed of the game has just kicked off – it’s been really fun.”

Mayen’s name is one that’s been hyped up in Australian basketball for some time.

Since being a part of the Centre of Excellence with the likes of Sam Froling, Jack White and Will Magnay to being the second-ranked Australian collegiate player in 2017, as per AUSA Hoops, the excitement around this stretchy and athletic 3-and-D wing has been palpable for some time.

Although he’s preparing to suit up in the league for the first time this season, Mayen nearly cut his collegiate career short to get a jump-start in the professional scene, even going as far as training with a number of NBL teams as he assessed his next move.

While there was certainly interest in his services around the NBL back then, much like there was before he signed with the Taipans earlier this year, Mayen says he wanted to fall in love with the game again before he went pro.

“I was coming out of TCU at the time and things weren’t really going to plan. I was playing games in and out, five minutes here, ten there. Some games were good but others were DNP. I also had a lot of other stuff going on,” Mayen said.

“I worked out with some teams, but I didn’t want to go into the pro-life at that time. I was missing playing basketball – just competing and having fun. I just wanted to play for the love of the game, I didn’t care about money.

“I wanted to go back, compete and finish school. I knew if I kept doing well enough the NBL was still going to be around when I was ready.

“That decision to go back to college was the best decision I could have made. Not only did it turn me into a better basketballer but it helped me with the other side of life.

“I grew mentally with everything that was happening around me. I learned so much that has nothing to do with basketball, but with life, and that extra maturity comes back around and helps me on the basketball court.”

Gettyimages 1125948364
Lat Mayen in action for TCU, defended by Texas Tech's Brandone Francis.

A tryout with the Sydney Kings went on to impact Mayen’s future more than he could have imagined at that time. In fact, it would go on to form a key reason as to why he eventually joined up with the Taipans.

While he was at the Kings, Mayen hit it off with one Sydney assistant in particular. That coach’s name? Adam Forde.

That existing relationship with the man who now leads Cairns, plus knowing some key people who had been part of the the Taipans’ organisation helped influence Mayen's decision.

“I met ‘Fordey’ when I had a workout with the Sydney Kings, and I remember thinking he was a great guy. Kouat Noi had also played for TCU before the Taipans and he had nothing but good things to say about the team," he said.

“I’m really excited to see what this team does. I think everybody here can impact games on so many levels.

“’Fordey’ has a plan and I really like it. All I know is I’m happy and prepared to do whatever the team needs me to do, whether that’s on offence, defence or on the bench.

“I can control what I’m able to do. It’s going to be a challenge but it’s one I’m up for.”

There’ll be plenty of fans who come into this NBL season with a pre-conceived image of Lat Mayen in their head – an image that stems from his remarkable game-tying shot against Ipswich in NBL1. 

Ipswich missed a free throw as the seconds wound down on the clock. The ball found its way into Marlins’ guard James Mitchell’s hands as his team burst up the court.

Mayen took the ball from his teammate and put up a heavily contested three on the buzzer. The shot fell, the game went to overtime and the Marlins advanced to the semi-finals.

“We had Jimmy bringing the ball up after the missed free throw, so we just got out of there and had to get up the court quickly. There was no play,” Mayen reflected.

“Anybody could have shot the ball and to be honest I really thought Jimmy was going to be the one to shoot it.

“I thought he was going to shoot from half court, but then I looked up and saw the clock and saw him running towards me. I grabbed the ball, got to my spot and just let it fly.”

Although he’s still just 23 years of age, Mayen’s career has taken more twists and turns than the careers of many seasoned professionals.

Whether the Taipans finish this season in first, last, or somewhere in between, there looks to be one certainty for them in the season ahead; Lat Mayen is going to compete, and he’s going to compete hard.

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