A little over a year ago, UConn fans were dismayed that Xavier Rathan-Mayes chose to go to Florida State rather than UConn. The talented Class of 2013 guard had cancelled a slated visit to Storrs in order to study for his SAT's, he told me, and soon afterwards chose FSU, alma mater of his father, Tharon (a New Haven product).

Turns out, Rathan-Mayes' rejection of UConn may have been a blessing in disguise. Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton announced on Monday that Rathan-Mayes will be ineligible for this entire season. Citing a source, Jeff Borzello of CBSsports.com says that the NCAA did not accept an entire year of credits from a school Rathan-Mayes attended in North Carolina.

Tough break for the kid and for Florida State, but for UConn, perhaps a bullet dodged.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes will be announcing his collegiate decision tonight at 9 right here. His final three is UConn, Illinois and Florida State, but not necessarily in that order. In fact, UConn fans might want to tune into the Yankee game instead. Rathan-Mayes will not be choosing the Huskies.

UPDATED: As expected, Rathan-Mayes didn't pick UConn. He committed to Florida State, alma mater of his dad, New Haven's own Tharon Mayes.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes's father, Tharon Mayes, says that his son postponed his scheduled visit to UConn this weekend because "there were some extra things he wanted to take care of. He wanted to prepare for the SAT's. He really wants to do well on those."

Asked if he believes his son is still considering UConn, Tharon said: "Absolutely, yeah. He plans on making his decision soon. He's been up to UConn already, so it's not like he hasn't visited the school. He said he just wants some time to think about it. He says he's gonna surprise us."

Mayes went with his son to his trip to Illinois last weekend and said it was a "good trip for him." Mayes, of course, starred at Florida State back in the late-80's/early-90's, but insists he's not pushing his son towards any school.

"When he asks for (advice), I'll give it," Tharon said. "It's his experience, it's got to be his decision."

Xavier Rathan-Mayes will make his official visit to UConn Sept. 27-29. He will visit Illinois this weekend, he told me in a phone conversation.

Rathan-Mayes got a visit from Kevin Ollie and Karl Hobbs on Monday at Huntington Prep in West Virginia.

"It was great," the Class of 2013 guard said. "We had a great discussion, talked about the way I'd fit into the program. I really love Coach Ollie. He's just a great person, a great guy. I think he's definitely going to do special things with UConn in the future."

Rathan-Mayes said he had "mixed emotions" to see Jim Calhoun retire.

"It's sad to see Coach Calhoun go out like that, after having such a great career, bringing UConn basketball from nothing to a national powerhouse," he said. "But I'm really happy for Coach Ollie. We've had a great relationship for a year and a bit. Just the kind of guy he is, he really deserves it."

Rathan-Mayes' in-home visits are done, and he's already made an official to Florida State, where his father, Tharon Mayes, starred in the early 90's. Tharon, of course, is a New Haven native who is back living in the city.

Rathan-Mayes said he will make his college decision on Oct. 13 at his home in Toronto. He said he doesn't have a leader in his mind right now.

"It definitely plays a factor, my dad playing at Florida State," he said. "Not a lot of kids can say their dad played at the same school recruiting you. My dad being from Connecticut, me playing at UConn when I was younger, I think it would be just as special. I know a lot of people there from Hillhouse, friends and familys down there."

He didn't say anything about Illinois, but then I didn't ask.

"It’s hard. There are a lot of great things about all the programs. "My mom and dad are on the phone with me constantly, writing down the pro’s and con’s. I wouldn’t say one’s standing out right now." 

Here's a feature I wrote on Tharon Mayes, the former New Haven high school star who went on to a successful career at Florida State, then Europe.

Why am I putting a story on Mayes on a UConn blog, you ask? Well, a quick look at his surname and you may be able to surmise that UConn fans may be very interested to hear what Mayes has to say.

Mayes is the father of Xavier Rathan-Mayes, the highly-touted Class of 2013 shooting guard who is a big-time UConn target. (Actually, Mayes is Xavier's stepfather -- he met Xavier's mom, Marilyn, when Xavier was about five).



According to Mayes, Xavier attended Cheshire Academy four years ago, as detailed in a nice story by the late, great Dave Solomon, but is now at Huntington Prep in West Virginia). Among the six schools he's "fond of", according to his dad: Florida State (Mayes's alma mater), UConn, Baylor, Alabama, Memphis and UCLA. There are others, as well. I apologize if I made it sound earlier like he had pared his list down to just those six.

Rathan-Mayes, who has made unofficials to both UConn and UCLA already, plans another unofficial to FSU sometime over the next couple of weeks. He'll narrow down his visits after taking the SAT's in September, according to Mayes. Xavier would like to commit early in November.

Tharon Mayes said that Jim Calhoun's coaching future is "a concern. He likes Kevin Ollie. Kevin’s been speaking to him, it’s definitely a school of interest. But that is something that’s a little scary.”

Here's what Tharon says about his son's game: "He can definitely stroke it. But I think, with him, what makes him tough is he plays both guard spots very well. It adds more to his game than him being a pure point guard or two-guard."

*** Meanwhile, Joey Natale of UConnBall.com caught up with Reggie Cameron after his visit to UConn on Tuesday. Guess what? The visit went "great."

*** Oh, and in the GHPA playoffs: Doug Wiggins had a triple-double (40 points, 10 boards, 10 assists) to lead Recycle Kings to a 152-145 win over Harte Nissan in Game 2 of the championship series. The decisive Game 3 will be tonight (Thursday) at 7 p.m. at Classical Magnet School.

UConn target Kuran Iverson added 36 points and eight rebounds and Jerome Dyson 30 and 11 for Recycle Kings.

Ryan Gomes had 34 and 10, Lamonte Ulmer 28 and 12 and Keith Cothran 27 and seven for Harte Nissan.

According to The Recruit Scoop, Xavier Rathan-Mayes has cut his list to 10 teams -- and UConn makes the cut.

Rathan-Mayes' list is as follows: Baylor, UConn, Alabama, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Memphis, Texas and UCLA.

His father, of course, it Tharon Mayes, the New Haven product who starred at Florida State back in the day.

So Kevin Ollie and Ray Allen walk into a restaurant, and ... well, sorry, no punch line here. The result, however (in a very, very, very roundabout way, some 10 years later) is Phil Nolan's commitment to UConn.

Confused? Well, read my story on Nolan, the 6-foot-11 lefthander who'll be arriving at Storrs in about a week. Nolan went to four high schools in four years and struggled academically in Huntington Prep's rigorous  academic environment. But he's got his academics in order and is a soft-spoken, impressive young man, according to all who know him.



Nolan has battled some negative perceptions over the past few years, but Ollie (whose friendship with Trevor Trimble, stepfather of UNC-bound J.P. Tokoto, was a big help in Nolan's recruitment), and two of Nolan's high school coaches, Milwaukee-Riverside University High's Tyrone Lewis and Huntington Prep's Rob Fulford, all speak glowingly of the big man.


“He’s a good kid," said Fulford. "You're not going to have any problems with him." 

(And yes, Fulford now coaches Xavier Rathan-Mayes, the highly-touted Class of 2013 point guard who had an 'amazing' visit to Storrs last fall, at Huntington Prep. Fulford had no new info on which way Rathan-Mayes may be leaning, but did offer this: Rathan-Mayes's father is Tharon Mayes, the New Haven native who starred at Florida State and still lives in Connecticut).