When Emanuel “Tiki” Mayben played his first varsity game for Troy High School as an eighth grader, his future coach Andre Cook knew he was talented.
Cook, coach of the opposing Hudson Falls High School, watched Mayben miss a potential game-winning shot in overtime. Afterward, the future Hudson Valley Community College coach told him to keep his head up.
“I remember going up to him and saying ‘You’re going to be a great player,’” Cook said.
Mayben and Cook didn’t have contact again until 2007, when Mayben was playing for University of Massachusetts Amherst but wanted to come back home, and Cook had taken over at HVCC. From there Mayben and Cook met and spoke about the possibility of Mayben transferring out of UMass to play at HVCC.
“We had several meetings to discuss his future, and to be honest, [in] the first several meetings, basketball wasn’t really discussed,” said Cook, who has since moved on to coach at St. Edward’s University, a Division II school in Austin, Texas. “They were about getting on track academically and getting to know him.”
Cook said Mayben had never been in trouble with the law before to his knowledge, though the former Binghamton University men’s basketball player did have some trouble in school. He was drafted by Syracuse University out of high school, but academic shortcomings prevented him from playing. He then went to UMass, where he sat out his first semester, but played the next.
Still, Mayben “clearly wanted to come and take advantage” of what Hudson Valley had to offer, academically and athletically, Cook said. Cook called the future BU player easy to talk to, bright, articulate and fun to be around.
While playing for the HVCC Vikings, who went 30-1 and ranked first in the country for their division, Mayben nearly averaged a triple-double. He did well in school too.
“Was everyday sunshine and rainbows? You can’t say that about anybody,” Cook said. “The season was long, but my experience coaching Emanuel was nothing but positive … If you go back to August ‘07, and fast-forward to August ‘08, he did everything that was discussed to reach his goals to be successful at HVCC.”
Last year, Cook watched Mayben on television, and when he could, in person. During those games he was one more member in what he called a group of people, including Mayben’s mother and one-year-old son, who were “tremendously supportive” of the BU point guard.
“[I was] unbelievably proud of him,” he said. “That was my guy. Especially with the way he was going in school.”
When the Bearcats won the America East Conference championship last March, Cook got a call within an hour of the win.
“I got a call to say ‘I love you, coach. Thank you,’” Cook said.
Since then, Cook has been in touch with Mayben. He was shocked to hear of his arrest. By the time of print, the two had not spoken since the arrest, but Cook had sent him a text letting him know he was there when he wanted to talk.
Though he didn’t know the details of the arrest, Cook said that somehow Mayben needs to “make this a positive” because he still has a lot of life to live.
“My relationship with him is nothing but positive,” the coach said. “I know him; people who don’t know him can say what they want.”
President Lois DeFleur and Athletics Director Joel Thirer, through statements, were the only administrators to comment on Mayben on Thursday. Athletes leaving the Events Center Thursday afternoon either declined to speak or stated that they’d been told not to talk about Mayben.