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DeMario Mayfield

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DeMario Mayfield
Mayfield at the 2017 William Jones Cup
Kleb Basket Ferrara
PositionSmall forward
LeagueSerie A2 Basket
Personal information
Born (1991-05-23) May 23, 1991 (age 33)
Carnesville, Georgia
NationalityAmerican / Iraqi
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolFranklin County
(Carnesville, Georgia)
College
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2016Al Nift
2016Uhud Medina
2016–2018Al Nift
2018–2019Prishtina
2019–2020Al Nift
2020–2021Heroes Den Bosch
2021–2022Kleb Basket Ferrara
2022–presentBasket Torino
Career highlights and awards

DeMario Aquan Mayfield (born May 23, 1991) is an American-born naturalized Iraqi professional basketball player for Basket Torino of the Serie A2 Basket. He competed in college for Georgia, Charlotte, and Angelo State.

High school career

Mayfield was a star basketball player at Frankin County High School. He was the 2009 Georgia High School Player of the Year. Mayfield was ranked No. 17 point guard in his class by ESPN and committed to Georgia.[1] As a senior, he averaged 23.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game.[2]

College career

Mayfield played one season at the University of Georgia and averaged about six minutes per game in 18 games. He transferred to Charlotte in search of more playing time and averaged 11.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[2] As a junior, he led the team in scoring with 11.7 points and 3.6 rebounds but did not play since January 26, 2013 due to undisclosed team rules violations. Mayfield was officially dismissed from the team on February 22.[3]

Mayfield playing for Charlotte

Mayfield decided to transfer to Morehead State. However, he never suited up for the team because he was arrested in Athens, Georgia, on the charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery on May 27. Former Georgia football player Ricardo James Crawford was also arrested with Mayfield, and the two were found by police with guns, gloves and masks, and were also charged with possession of marijuana.[4] Mayfield accepted a plea deal in which he had to serve 10 and a half months in a diversion center, which he described as like a “jail/work camp", and another year on probation.[5] Mayfield's mentor Patrice Davis became an assistant coach at Abilene Christian University in the summer. He recommended the troubled basketball player to Angelo State coach Chris Beard, who added him to the roster.[1]

As a senior at Division II Angelo State, Mayfield averaged 15.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and scored in double digits in 30 games. He helped lead the Rams to a 28-6 record and the first Sweet 16 in program history.[6] Mayfield became the first Angelo State player to record a triple-double on December 16, 2014, when he scored 14 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out 13 assists in a win over Arlington Baptist College.[1] He had a career-high 24 points along with seven rebounds in a win over Texas A&M–Commerce in the NCAA Tournament. Mayfield was a First-team All-Lone Star Conference selection and was twice named LSC Offensive Player of the Week and once named LSC Defensive Player of the Week. He was an NABC and Daktronics All-South Central second-team selection.[7]

Professional career

Mayfield with Iraq at the 2017 William Jones Cup

Due to his criminal background, most teams in Europe or China refused to sign Mayfield.[5] On July 16, 2015, Mayfield signed his first professional contract with Al Nift of the Iraqi Basketball League. He became the third Angelo State player on the 2014–15 team to join a professional squad. "I'll learn a lot more about people in different regions of the world without passing judgment on other cultures," Mayfield said.[6] He excelled in Iraq, averaging 33.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in his rookie season. On March 16, 2016, he was signed by the Saudi club Uhud Medina.[8]

After a season in Saudi Arabia, Mayfield re-joined Al Nift. He posted 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game and led the club to its first championship. Mayfield also developed friendships with his Iraqi teammates, some of whom he considers brothers, and was provided accommodation in a Baghdad hotel, meals prepared by the hotel's chef and a driver in addition to his salary.[5] Mayfield was named Asia-Basket.com All-Iraqi League Player of the Year and Asia-Basket.com All-Iraqi League Import Player of the Year in 2017. On August 24, 2018, Mayfield signed with Sigal Prishtina of the Kosovan league.[9] He spent the 2019-20 season with Al Nift. On August 2, 2020, Mayfield signed with Heroes Den Bosch of the Dutch Basketball League.[10] After the DBL regular season, he was named to the DBL All-Defense Team.[11]

On July 15, 2021, Mayfield signed with Kleb Basket Ferrara of the Serie A2 Basket.[12]

The Basketball Tournament

Mayfield competed for D2 in The Basketball Tournament 2020. He added nine points, four assists and nine rebounds in a 79-74 opening round loss to Big X.[13]

National team

Mayfield was granted Iraqi citizenship in 2017 and joined the national basketball team.[5] He replaced Kevin Galloway as the team's designated naturalized player.[14] In his first game in the qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Mayfield contributed 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals in a win over Iran in November 2017.[15]

Personal life

Mayfield is married to Jasmine Robinson and has a son, Demario Jr.[6] They live in Jacksonville, Florida.[5] His mother Tina Mayfield, was a junior college all-American at Emmanuel College before transferring to the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. His brother, Keshaun Mayfield, played basketball at Lindsey Wilson College. Mayfield's cousin Tony Jones started at left tackle for the Denver Broncos in the late 1990s.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Harris, Paul (January 22, 2015). "Mayfield uses experience, talent to lead Rams to record start". San Angelo Standard-Times. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: From despair to opportunity, Mayfield embraces leadership role with Rams". Angelo State Rams. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  3. ^ "DeMario Mayfield, Charlotte's leading scorer, dismissed". The Sporting News. February 22, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  4. ^ Norlander, Matt (July 1, 2013). "Morehead State transfer Mayfield indicted on robbery charges". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e Cahill, Petra (November 18, 2017). "DeMario Mayfield is Iraq's new basketball star. And he's American". NBC. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Harris, Paul (July 16, 2015). "Angelo State's Mayfield signs pro contract with Iraqi club". San Angelo Standard-Times. Associated Press. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "Mayfield signs professional basketball contract". Angelo State Rams. July 15, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  8. ^ Madwar, Ahmad (March 16, 2016). "Uhud inks Demario Mayfield, ex Al Nift". EuroBasket. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "Sigal Prishtina signs Demario Mayfield, ex Al Nift". EuroBasket. August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Demario Mayfield signs with Heroes Den Bosch". Sportando. August 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  11. ^ "Worthy de Jong voert All Defense Team aan". Dutch Basketball League (in Dutch). April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Ferrara inks Demario Mayfield". Eurobasket. July 15, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  13. ^ Bryce, Charles (July 6, 2020). "Team featuring ex-Angelo State standout Mayfield eliminated at million-dollar tourney". San Angelo Standard-Times. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  14. ^ "DeMario Mayfield honored to play for Iraq". FIBA. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  15. ^ "Demario Mayfield's big game propels Iraq past Iran". FIBA. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
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