2011 Paul Martin Award Winner

Ability, pluck drive Mayers...

Oak Grove star plans to continue athletic career

De'La Mayers carries a sort of quiet confidence with him. One of Oak Grove's best and brightest young athletes during the past couple of years doesn't seem to actively boast much, but "I hate to be cocky, but" and a wealth of self-assurances follow when asked how well he thought he could return from a hyperextended knee or what his future holds. Why shouldn't he be proud and positive? A jam-packed schedule left him little time to fine-tune any of the sports in which he participated, but his natural talent still was enough to make him a state track champion, a baseball and basketball All-State honoree and one of the Tigers' top football players before his injury. Now, he can add The News-Star's 2011 Paul Martin Award to that list. "I didn't really want to tell everybody like my mom did because I didn't want everybody to think I was bragging," Mayers said. "But I'm really proud, and I know my family is because they haven't stopped calling since my mom told them, and coach (Brad) Nix is happy too — he's been freaking out." De'La, mother Kris Mayers and Nix, Oak Grove's baseball, basketball and assistant football coach who has worked with De'La since sixth grade, said the award is a source of pride for the entire community. "When you live in little-bitty Oak Grove, you don't think people are noticing what you're doing because we're so small and in a country area," Kris Mayers said. "I never really thought people were paying attention about De'La, although I know his name is popular because it's kind of hard to go places in the area and people not know De'La Mayers, and the little kids in town love him." Bringing the recognition back to 1.7-square-mile Oak Grove only accentuates how deserving De'La Mayers is of the award, Nix said. "We might've had someone win this award 20 years ago when I was in high school," he said. "It says he's really a special athlete and a phenomenal athlete in four different areas." As hesitant as he might be to brag, Mayers certainly made his ability difficult to ignore. He capped his junior year with an individual state championship in the 200-meter dash, as well as titles as a member of the 4x200-meter relay team and Oak Grove's overall squad victory. That speed, as well as his 6-foot-4-inch frame at receiver, made him one of the Tigers opposing football coaches talked about most every week last fall.

Can't hold him down for long

While the knee injury was enough to disrupt his season on the gridiron, it couldn't hold him back for long. Much to his own, Nix's and Oak Grove's delight, Mayers came back to average 20.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game on the basketball court — including a postseason triple-double — and then bat .422 with eight home runs, 33 RBIs and 10 stolen bases for the Tigers en route to the state championship baseball game. "When he went down, it bothered me for football because we wanted to win a state championship," Nix said. "But also when he was able to come back for the other two sports, I was as relieved and excited as anybody — not just for him because I would hate for him to have to sit there and not be able to compete, but also for his teammates because with him out there we had our best chance to accomplish some special things."

Diamond run

Led by Mayers and several other key seniors, the Tigers' state runner-up ride on the diamond was as special as any of the other accomplishments — for the school and for Mayers, who said his first and strongest love among the sports always has been baseball. The championship game appearance was Oak Grove's first since its 2001 title. "It was amazing," Mayers said. "That game was the best ever. I've never really felt like that. I didn't feel like that when I went to track. Beating OCS (in the semifinal) felt like a championship game right there, but then the next game — I wish it could've ended a little better, but I still enjoyed my senior year with my team."Mayers still could have plenty of room, though, before he reaches what could be an even higher ceiling.

Fine-tuning his games

He opted to continue his career at Hinds Community College, despite an offer from Grambling, and hopes a year or two of focusing on just baseball and football will set him up with a move to a Division I school. Nix said Mayers' wide range of abilities makes projecting his best possible path difficult, but the sky is the limit. "I see his raw talent, and if he devoted his time to baseball, I think he's a Major League draft pick who could have a change to work his way up," Nix said. "He runs so well and has a lot of natural ability. ... But then he's also a 6-4 wide receiver who's exceptionally fast, and those don't grow on trees. And in basketball, the Hinds coach said he thought he could be an excellent basketball player for him." The truth is Mayers likely realizes all that potential as much as anyone. He might not go out of his way to talk about it, but he'll probably admit it if you ask him.

Written by Jerit Roser  The News Star