It was a buzzer beating shot at the end of the 4A State final basketball game that left junior Scott Wood and senior Julius Mays breathless. Their team, which had gone 24-5 on the way to play in the Indiana State championship game, had come up one single point short of winning the state title.
And with that loss it seemed that the duo that had led the team all year had played its final game together, as Mays was graduating and moving on to play for N.C. State, while Wood had one remaining year at Marion High School in Marion, Ind.
However, just two years later, the duo is back together and trying to help the Wolfpack rebuild and re-establish itself as a top tier ACC team. Wood has come in and made an immediate impact his freshman year as he has started every game this season while averaging 8 points per game. Mays has provided excellent backcourt depth, as he is averaging over 5 points per game with a 1.53 assist to turnover ratio.
“We’re good buds,” Wood said. “We are roommates and everything so we get on each other and let each other know what things they should do different or what things they’re doing well.”
Even before high school Wood and Mays knew each other, as they faced off against one another early on in their careers, but Mays said he got the best of his roommate long ago.
“Playing against each other when we were younger, it was always competitive because we were two of the best people at our age group,” Mays said. “But I would say I got the best of him.”
Having played together and against each other for so long, it goes without saying that the two players understand each other’s strengths and weakness and know how to get the best play out of each other. But Wood said the two may have developed something beyond just an understanding, something more like a sixth sense between one another.
“It’s just one of those things, you always know where they’re going to be and it’s like they say, with twins, telepathic stuff,” Wood said. “Just knowing where he’s going to be and what he wants to do definitely helps me out. One big thing is that he knows where I want the ball and I know where he wants the ball. I know his game really well and he knows my game really well.”
With Mays being a year older and both coach Sidney Lowe and coach Monte Towe coming to their high school recruiting Mays, both players believe that the recruitment of Mays help lead to the coaching staff’s decision to come back the next year and recruit Wood. But one of the deciding factors for the freshman was the chance to play with his high school buddy.
“I think it was one of the things that helped me out a lot, just because they started recruiting him early and they got to see me and I got to establish that bond with coach Lowe and coach Towe early on in [Julius’s] recruitment even,” Wood said. “But I’d say that him being here was definitely one of the bigger things that pushed me here to N.C. State.”
Wood also said it wasn’t just the opportunity to play on the court with Mays, but also the chance to be with a good friend that could help him adjust to a new area over 650 miles away from home.
“I’m a shy guy and I don’t really like to ask people where to go,” Wood said. “The fact that he was here and I could ask him, ‘Hey, do you know any of these restaurants around here?’ or ‘Where is this hall at?’ and stuff like that, it was definitely nice and it made my transition a lot easier.”
But with the two being roommates and both being far from home, the friendship the two have developed goes far beyond just being teammates.
“We’re real good friends,” Mays said. “We have been playing against each other since we were way younger. It’s always nice to have a good friend when you’re this far from home, especially someone from your hometown.”
Even after the two players graduate from State, Wood said he would be willing to bet the two keep in touch and remain close friends.
“It’s one of those things where we’re basically brothers,” Wood said. “I’m sure beyond basketball we will end up being great friends.”