"PURSUE THE THINGS YOU LOVE DOING, AND THEN DO THEM SO WELL THAT PEOPLE CAN'T TAKE THEIR EYES OFF YOU."
- MAYA ANGELOU
ABOUT JOSH MAYO HOOPZ
Josh Mayo Hoopz was created to empower people to reach their full potential in the game of basketball and in the game of life by implementing concepts that will challenge and improve there character, work ethic, integrity, and skills. Our Goal is to build positive, sincere relationships with each player, that leads to great growth in each player's mental, physical and emotional life.
MEET JOSH
Like most young boys from the Hoosier State, Josh began to take interest in basketball at an early age. His father and older brothers played ball at various levels throughout their lives, so it was inevitable that Josh would soon develop his own relationship with the game.
Josh’s older brothers were some of his early teachers, and he was fortunate to get some hands-on training from them -- using their parent’s driveway as a makeshift gym for Josh to watch, learn, and practice his skills.
By age eight, Josh’s game had improved dramatically, and he began playing biddy basketball with Coach Nolan Pettis out of Indiana along with several other talented young athletes. Even though Josh was considered one of the shortest players in the league, his scoring made people take notice. He was finally finding his groove as a gifted shooter when he learned one of basketball’s most fundamental lessons, “basketball is 20 percent physical, and 80 percent mental.”
During one practice, a teammate threw the ball out of bounds and the coach’s solution: suicides. After that night, Josh admitted he was ready to, “hang up his shoes at the tender age of eight years old.” His dad and his coach encouraged him to push beyond the pain and frustration of that moment—and while the running didn’t stop, Josh admits that his mentality changed.
He went on to play AAU with SYF under the guidance Dr. Dye and Coach Wayne Brumm—Josh credits a lot of his mental fortitude to having an opportunity to work closely with Coach Brumm during such a pivotal moment in his career.
Josh’s dedication to the game only grew, and he played on the freshman team at Merrillville Senior High School (The Merrillville Pirates). During his freshman year, he played on the Junior varsity team for a single game and was quickly promoted to the varsity team. Sophomore year, Josh helped lead the Pirates to the IHSAA semi-state game. He received back-to-back All-State and All-Conference accolades during his four years as a student-athlete, and he made time to graduate as one of the top twenty-five students of the 2005 senior class.
When it came time for college, Josh received a full-ride scholarship to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) where he had an impressive career, finishing as the 4th leading scorer in UIC history; he was also the second player to record at least 1500 points, 500 assists, and 200 steals over a four-year span.
After receiving his degree, Josh followed what he believed to be God’s plan for his life and continued on his path of becoming a professional athlete. After nearly thirteen seasons Josh has been the floor general for 12 teams in 7 different countries.
Some of his most notable accolades are: Three-time All-Star (LBL & German BBL); Record holder for the most three-pointers made in a single season (German BBL; Winner of two Italian Cups (Serie A2, Italy); Championship Winner (Serie A2, Italy).
Josh attributes his success as an athlete to his faith in Jesus Christ and having a solid family foundation where love and support were paramount. Today, Josh is happily married to his high school sweetheart, Meisha, and the couple have two beautiful children who have been an integral part of his basketball career. The Mayo family will forever cherish the memories they’ve been fortunate to make during Josh’s overseas career.