Maggie Nesselroade, Contributing Writer
To Chad Mayes, Asbury’s head women’s basketball coach, everywhere is a mission field. Whether it was during his work as a police officer with the Kentucky State Police, overseas in Puerto Rico or on the basketball court, Mayes has turned every platform in his life into an opportunity to glorify and serve Christ.
Born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, Mayes is no stranger to the lay of the land at Asbury. Before coming to coach the women’s basketball team at AU, he had over 20 years of experience through coaching multiple different high school basketball teams in the area. After becoming connected to Asbury through head men’s basketball coach Will Shouse, Mayes served as an assistant coach for the Lady Eagles for two years. Soon after the women’s head coaching position opened up, Mayes was hired in July 2018 by Mark Whitworth, vice president of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Five years ago, both Mayes and his wife of 15 years left their careers as a Kentucky State Police officer and a registered nurse, respectively, in order to pursue mission work full time. Mayes has led multiple different mission trips for the athletic department, bringing the Acts 1:8 “to the ends of the earth” model to life. His goal is to incorporate all of campus in finding a place on the mission field, and he specifically wants to open the door for non-athletes to participate in these experiences.
“In good or bad, you need to make your life a mission field, and I believe that I was supposed to bring that mentality here as well,” said Mayes. “My door is open to any student here on campus. So anytime anybody wants to go on a mission trip or do something, my number is in the computer. All they have to do is look it up.”
As the women’s basketball team begins to wrap up the season, Mayes said, “This was obviously a rebuilding season for us, but at the beginning of the year, we were picked dead last for our conference, but we didn’t finish dead last. We won a whole lot more games than anybody thought we would.”
At the time of writing, the Lady Eagles have won five of their last seven games and sit at 6-10 in River States Conference play.
Mayes is very grateful for the group of women he has been able to work with and looks forward to next year with great hope. He wants the team is grow in skill as well as relationally and spiritually. “This season has truly been a success, and all of that goes to the girls,” he said. “They have been phenomenal. … I couldn’t ask for a better group of young women to coach.”
