Tandem Mays

Tandem Mays completed her eighth season as an assistant coach at Nebraska in 2023-24. A long-time assistant to Husker head coach Amy Williams. Mays wrapped up her 16th season as an assistant for Williams, after spending two seasons playing for her at Tulsa.

Mays helped the Huskers to a 2024 first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Texas A&M after claiming a No. 6 seed in March Madness. The victory followed Nebraska's run to its first Big Ten Championship Game appearance since 2014.

The tough Huskers secured a win over Purdue before notching double-digit wins over NCAA Tournament-bound Michigan State and Maryland to set up a third showdown with No. 3 Iowa in the title game. The Huskers controlled the action in much of the contest and took the Hawkeyes to overtime before falling 94-89 in the championship. Despite the setback, the Huskers booked their second NCAA Tournament ticket in the past three seasons while making their fourth consecutive postseason tournament appearance.

Nebraska finished with a 23-12 overall record that included an 11-7 Big Ten mark to take fifth in the final conference regular-season standings. Nebraska's regular season was highlighted by an 82-79 win over then-No. 2 Iowa in front of a sellout crowd of more than 15,000 at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Feb. 11). The victory over the Hawkeyes matched the highest-ranked team the Huskers have ever defeated. It was one of five wins over NCAA Tournament teams the Huskers notched from Feb. 6 through the end of the season, as Nebraska went 9-4 down the stretch with road losses to No. 2 Ohio State and No. 12 Oregon State, along with a loss to No. 3 Iowa in Minneapolis. Nebraska's only other setback was a one-point loss at Illinois, which advanced to the WBIT Championship Game.

During Nebraska's late-season surge, the Huskers completed a season sweep of NCAA Tournament-bound Michigan (Feb. 6) and their first-ever sweep of NCAA-bound Maryland (March 9) in the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers also locked up a season sweep of NCAA Tournament-bound Michigan State (March 8), and a three-game season sweep of WNIT Great Eight participant Purdue (Feb. 17, March 7). The Big Red added a 19-point home win over WNIT semifinalist Minnesota (Feb. 24).

The Huskers finished No. 25 in the regular-season NET rankings with 17 of their 23 victories coming against postseason tournament qualifiers, including eight wins over NCAA Tournament teams, three over WBIT qualifiers and six over WNIT teams.

Nebraska's success in 2023-24 came despite losing projected starting guard Allison Weidner to a season-ending injury in mid-October, and an injury to returning starter and graduate guard Maddie Krull prior to the start of the season. Krull's injury not only kept her out of the first three games, it limited her contributions throughout the season. The Huskers also were hindered by an injury to reserve post Annika Stewart that limited her training and kept her out of the lineup for eight games early in the season.

Despite the challenges, Nebraska continued to improve throughout the year in large part to the consistency of first-team All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski and the leadership of second-team All-Big Ten guard Jaz Shelley. Two of the top players at their positions in the country, Markowski and Shelley both claimed All-Big Ten honors for the third consecutive seasons before earning spots on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Nebraska's most experienced players also got help from a pair of award-winning freshmen. Natalie Potts emerged as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after capturing eight Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week awards during the season. She added honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades from the conference media while being joined on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by Logan Nissley.

In addition to the individual awards won by the Huskers, Nebraska's success also came out in the record book, including a school-record 292 made three-pointers while ranking second in school history with a plus-7.8 rebound margin. The 2023-24 Huskers also ranked fifth in school history with 2,533 points, fourth in total rebounds (1,431) and third in assists (580).

Nebraska also continued to be one of the biggest draws in all of women's college basketball with an average home attendance of 6,088 to rank 15th in NCAA Division I. It marked the 14th consecutive season the Huskers have ranked in the top 25 nationally in average home attendance. Every game in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament drew more than 18,000 fans at the Target Center in Minneapolis, while NU's Big Ten Tournament Championship Game appearance attracted 4.77 million viewers on CBS - the highest TV ratings for a women's basketball game on the network in well over two decades.

The Huskers were postseason eligible for the fourth consecutive year in 2022-23, as Nebraska battled its way to an 18-15 record and a trip to the WNIT Super 16 despite season-ending injuries to starting guards Allison Weidner and Sam Haiby.

 

Despite the challenges, Shelley (1st), Markowski (2nd), Isabelle Bourne (HM) and Haiby (HM) all earned All-Big Ten recognition, while the Huskers ranked No. 13 nationally in average home attendance with 5,761 fans per game at Pinnacle Bank Arena. 

 

In 2021-22, Mays helped the Huskers to the NCAA Tournament and a final 24-9 overall record. Nebraska finished with a final No. 23 NET ranking and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after posting four wins over 2022 NCAA Sweet Sixteen teams.

 

The Huskers notched three wins over NCAA Elite Eight teams during the season, including a pair over top-10 Michigan and a win over Creighton. The Huskers added a 72-55 victory over No. 5 Indiana (Feb. 14), which marked Nebraska's largest win in school history over a top-five opponent at game time.

 

Nebraska put one of the most complete teams in school history on the floor in 2021-22, ranking 10th nationally in scoring offense (77.8 ppg), 13th in assists (17.4 apg), 18th in scoring margin (+13.5 ppg), while leading the Big Ten, setting a school record and ranking 21st nationally in three-pointers made per game (8.5). NU also led the Big Ten and ranked 23rd in the nation in rebounding (41.8 rpg), while leading a Big Ten that featured four of the nation's highest scoring teams in field goal percentage defense (.385). 

 

The Huskers ranked 14th nationally in total home attendance, and they sent the crowds at Pinnacle Bank Arena home happy by tying the school record with 16 home victories on the season.

 

The 2021-22 Huskers featured Big Ten Freshman of the Year Alexis Markowski, who joined fellow newcomer Shelley in earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. Nebraska added honorable-mention All-Big Ten awards for captains Haiby and Bourne - the second all-league honors of their careers.

 

Mays was also a key part of Nebraska's 2017-18 NCAA Tournament team that posted the nation's top turnaround with 14 more wins than 2016-17. The Big Red advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after finishing third in the conference regular-season standings. The 2017-18 team featured freshmen Kate Cain and Taylor Kissinger, who gave Nebraska a top-25 recruiting class by ESPN. The Huskers added another ESPN top-25 recruiting class in 2018-19 and an ESPN top-25 class again heading into 2021-22. 

 

Cain, a 6-5 center, closed her four-year career at Nebraska with 1,085 points, 780 rebounds and a school-record 352 blocked shots, which ranked No. 6 in Big Ten history. A three-time member of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, Cain was one of 15 candidates for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2021. A two-time honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice and a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, Cain signed a WNBA Training Camp contract with the Las Vegas Aces following her graduation from Nebraska.

 

Nebraska's top-25 class that entered 2018-19 as freshmen, included Haiby. The 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., captured second-team all-conference honors in 2020-21 as the only player in the Big Ten to rank among the top 15 players in the league in scoring (11th, 16.8 ppg), rebounding (15th, 6.8 rpg) and assists (8th, 4.4 apg). She also led the Huskers in steals. Haiby finished her career at Nebraska in 2023-24 as the only player in school history to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,000 points (1,618), 500 rebounds (642) and 400 assists (477).

 

After an impressive run to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the Huskers were postseason eligible again in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season. A totally revamped Husker roster advanced to the round of 16 in the 2021 Postseason WNIT.

 

Before joining Williams at Nebraska, Mays spent two seasons as a full-time assistant with her at South Dakota. In those two seasons, USD won a pair of Summit League regular-season titles and averaged 29 victories per year. In 2015-16, The Coyotes finished with a 32-6 overall record that culminated with a 2016 Postseason WNIT crown.

 

Mays also served as a graduate assistant at South Dakota under Williams in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Mays helped USD to an appearance in the 2014 NCAA Tournament after rolling to the Summit League Tournament title.

 

Overall, Mays helped lead South Dakota to four consecutive postseason tournament appearances, while averaging 24 victories per season. She also helped guide the Coyotes to four straight trips to the Summit League Tournament title game.

 

Mays spent four seasons on the Rogers State staff led by Williams from 2008-09 to 2011-12. Mays was part of two NAIA Tournament trips, including a run to the NAIA Elite Eight in 2012.

 

During her stay on the Rogers State staff, Mays helped the Hillcats to an 84-47 record while assisting with on-court skill development of the guards, recruiting, scouting and academic development.

 

Mays was a four-year member of the Tulsa women's basketball program from 2003-04 through 2006-07. A three-year starter, Mays played for a Golden Hurricane staff that included Williams as an assistant coach in 2005-06 and 2006-07. As a junior in 2005-06, Mays helped the Golden Hurricane claim its first Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Tulsa won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game and finished with a 26-6 overall record. Mays was a captain as a senior in 2006-07.

 

Mays was originally recruited by Coach Williams when Mays was a player at Fort Smith (Ark.) Northside High School, and Williams was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State.

 

Mays earned her bachelor's degree from Tulsa as an exercise and sport science major in 2007.