Born in Ocala, Florida, he played basketball for Vanguard High School before enrolling at the University of Texas to compete for the Longhorns.

[3] Mays went to Vanguard High School where he was a scholastic All-America standout, and he then proceeded to play basketball for the University of Texas.

Mays and teammates Lance Blanks and Joey Wright were known as the "BMW – The Ultimate Scoring Machine" during the 1989–90 basketball season.

[10] Mays' professional career extended to European and international basketball, as he played in Greece, Israel, Turkey, and Italy.

From 2004 to 2007, he returned to his alma mater and served as an assistant coach under Jody Conradt for the Texas Longhorns women's basketball team.

He was instrumental in signing, among others, Erika Arriaran, Crystal Boyd, Earnesia Williams, and Brittainey Raven.

After Conradt retired, Mays worked in the same capacity with the Louisiana State University women's team from 2007 to 2011.

Conference tournament champion Mays earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from UT in 1990.