Clemson forward James Mays could have stayed close to home and gone to N.C. State.

He had a scholarship offer and had met with former coach Herb Sendek on multiple occasions. He dreamed of playing in the Triangle. He knew Julius Hodge and many of the other players at that time. And he lived just miles away from the Wolfpack’s campus.

But he chose Clemson.

“State recruited me a lot coming out of high school,” he said.

“Coach Sendek was there and I had some meetings with him. I took unofficial visits with him and got to know dudes like Julius Hodge and a lot of other guys.”

Mays said he “dreamed of playing locally” and grew up a North Carolina fan. When Sendek went strong after Mays, he started to eye the Pack.

He spent plenty of time around the Pack’s campus and played AAU basketball with Cedric Simmons while in high school.

“They were on me real hard early on,” he said. “As time went on, the interest went down a little bit, I think. But they signed Cedric Simmons early on too.”

However, the commitment of Simmons didn’t sway the Pack’s interest too much, Mays said.

“They wanted both of us and they would have been happy with both,” he said.

But Mays was worried about State’s Princeton-style offense. He said his perimeter game wasn’t where it needed to be to play in Raleigh. Not only that, he believed he wouldn’t have much of an opportunity to play at least for a couple of years.

“I wanted that opportunity to play,” he said. “At the time they didn’t really have that.”

Grades were never an issue for the staff or for Mays, he said. Academically, he was in good standing and that was not an issue in his recruitment.

“There was never a grades issue, it was just the fact that I didn’t have that opportunity to play early,” Mays said.

Even though he won’t be suiting up for the Pack on Saturday, he’s pumped to play in front of his family and friends at the RBC Center

“To me, it’s like a homecoming,” Mays said. “I grew up basically on N.C. State’s campus. Some of my best friends and family are going to be at the game.”

Jokingly, Mays said he will “probably get a few extra tickets” and that he might have to take some from his teammates.

Growing up in Garner, Mays follows a tradition of strong players before him — including Donald Williams, the Final Four MVP for UNC during its 1993 championship run, and David West, an NBA All-Star this season.

After this season, the senior will enter the NBA Draft. Following his junior year, he went to the NBA pre-draft camp to see where he stood.

“If I knew I could make that jump, I would have done it,” he said. “I did pretty good and I learned a lot of things, but I just didn’t feel very comfortable.”

Going into this season, he said that experience will help him a great deal.

“I’ve been through that process, I know what the NBA is,” he said. “I really know how to train and prepare for it. I just need to make sure my body is healthy.”

Keeping his body healthy has been one of the biggest challenges this season. At the beginning of the season, he had an infected eye. Then came the back spasms. And then the broken hand. But he maintains that the injuries won’t slow him down when it comes to the NBA Draft.

But for now, he’s worried about State. And his return back home.

“I played there last year, but this is my last go-round,” Mays said. “But I’m ready for it.”