dversity: all freshmen have to deal with it. Learning to find your place in Division 1 college basketball can be a challenge for some. Promises of playing time don't always work out. The long schedule and cross-country travel takes time to adjust to. Keeping the grades up is a must. And with all of that, you have to produce on the court.
In November 2006, Tiki Mayben was ready. After a year of sitting out to focus on academics, the second year student was about to start his first year as a college basketball player.
The point guard was something of a steal for coach Travis Ford and the Minutemen. Mayben, a native of Troy, NY, had originally committed to Syracuse before he started his sophomore year in high school. He was due to play with the Orangemen in the 2005-06 season. With Syracuse having won the national championship in 2002-03, Mayben was heading for a program at the top, and the Orange were happy to have him. In his freshman year in high school, one recruiting publication rated him the best frosh in the nation.
While he was wowing fans on the court with his creative passing, in the classroom Mayben was facing tough challenges. By the end of high school, when his grades and SAT score weren't high enough, and prep school didn't work out, Syracuse passed on Mayben. Ford stepped in, got Mayben into the classroom in Amherst, and onto the court for the 2006-07 season.
On the hardwood, Mayben got off to a good start, with 9 assists in the exhibition game against Bridgeport, and even more when it counted, with 11 assists and 12 points in the season-opener against Dartmouth. The 11 assists was a Mullins Center record. He started every game and led the Atlantic 10 conference in assists per game average.
 Tiki Mayben (left) watched as his teammates came back to win over CCSU. |
For most of the remainder of the game, Gary Forbes took over at the point. Though Forbes could play the position, he wasn't really utilized there so far in the season. Mayben was starting and sophomore Chris Lowe was the backup coming off the bench. But the natural point guards weren't getting the job done, so the call went to Forbes for more of an offensive threat.
The switch worked. When Mayben came out, UMass went on runs of 6-0, 6-3, and 7-3, to turn a 4 point deficit into a 9 point lead. Mayben cheered his teammates on from the bench, and UMass ended up winning by 13.
In the Minutemen's next two games, both in the state of Kentucky, Mayben kept his starting job, but struggled. He played only 12 minutes at Louisville, and 15 at Kentucky, both below his previous low on the season. He recorded no assists against the Cardinals, and only three against the Wildcats. What started as a 5.6 assist per game average dropped to 4.9.
UMass returned home to face Yale, a struggling, lower-tiered team. They would take the court for the opening tip without Mayben on the floor. While he responded off the bench with 10 points, tied for his second-highest on the season, he also struggled with 6 turnovers.
The next opponent was Miami. Though an ACC school, never to be taken too lightly, the Hurricanes had struggled with some bad losses, and UMass was favored at home. Yet none of the UMass guards could stop the Miami backcourt, as they scored 59 of Miami's 72 points. Not known for his defense, Mayben was part of the Minutemen's struggles to stop the Canes.
Today against La Salle, Mayben was suited up and appeared ready to go. But by the end of the game, Ford never called Mayben's number. Chris Lowe played the point for 34 minutes and tallied good numbers: 14 points (including 5-6 from the free throw line), 6 assists, and only 2 turnovers. Last season, Lowe played his way to the starting job at point guard. Recently, he has done the same.
Why Mayben never made it off the pine in the game is a mystery. Is he in Travis Ford's doghouse for some reason?
As a freshman, Mayben has plenty of time left in his college career, and he has a lot of lessons to learn. His first is upon him: how to deal with this kind of adversity, and how to find his niche on Ford's team.