Our head boys' basketball coach and P.E. teacher Mario Mays not only manages his team when they're on the court and in their athletic prime, but also goes a step further in leading them well beyond the final buzzer.
 
Mays created a non-profit that caters to that need – Beyond the Bench – which focuses on providing resources on career, educational development, as well as mental health and advocacy. 
 
"I wanted to start helping guys when their [sports] careers were over. And just to push them to start thinking, past whatever sport you're in. Because it's very important to understand that, you know, basketball or football or baseball or whatever you do will stop one day," Mays said.
 
He lives what he speaks, as Mario played collegiate basketball at Emmanuel College and later West Georgia before later leaving the game and becoming disoriented about a life plan, setting goals, and the like. 
 
"Through athletics, I was always on a schedule. I was eager to practice and plan on doing schoolwork. And what I came to find out later in life was after I got off the routine and a schedule, I just kind of didn't understand how to manage time" he said.
 
He eventually got on track – later attending North Georgia, then going on to coach at Lakeview Academy and Wheeler before joining out family. His three-year resume on the bench here is a successful one – he led our Bears to the state finals two years ago and got them back in the playoffs again this past season. 
 
It was during his days at Wheeler when Beyond the Bench germinated in his mind.
 
 "I had watched my mother volunteer in the community.  She taught me and my sister the importance of giving back and not necessarily with your money but your time," Mays said.  "So, through my experience of coaching, through my experience with working with young people, you know, it just seemed like God just spoke to me about this concept," Mays said.
 
Although the non-profit is based out of Atlanta, Mays does a lot of community work in Gainesville. Beyond the Bench partnered with the Newtown Florist Club during the 2023 week-long events in honor of Martin Luther King Day to take children to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Park.
 
"I just felt like this is the opportunity for me to pave that way forward to make sure that some kids who grew up the same way I did, have the opportunities that are important educationally and socially," Mays said.
 
To join or know more about the type of services offered by Beyond the Bench, you can visit their website gobeyondthebench.org.  If you are interested in donating you can email Mays at Btbench19@gmail.com.