Demario Mayfield can't expunge his past mistakes or erase the internet.

His actions negatively impacted his family, imprisoned him for a year and very easily could have ended his life - let alone his basketball career. He lives every day knowing a simple online search reveals the darkest moments of his life and that some people will never forgive or believe in him again. He wants you to know his story and we are telling it because his family back in Georgia and his coaches and teammates here at Angelo State all firmly believe in the person he is today.

"When he got into trouble, that was the toughest thing in my life that I had to go through," said his mother, Tina Mayfield. "But we have a strong family who doesn't give up on each other. When he saw that we forgave him for his mistakes, it allowed him to move ahead and know that he could overcome it. He always remained positive about life and he understood that his entire family never lost faith in him or his future. We believe in second chances and we believe in Demario."

Demario takes responsibility for his crime, has asked for and received forgiveness from his family and explained himself to his coaches and teammates. He is moving forward, but at the same time he understands and accepts that some people are just waiting for him to make his next mistake that he's determined not to make.

Tough times pass. Tough people last. 

"I'm really blessed to be here and it means everything to me to have this opportunity," Mayfield said. "I've put myself through a lot in the past through my bad decisions and I'm very aware that this is my third opportunity and that I'm really lucky to be here. My time behind bars not only affected me, but it affected my entire family. That is tough to live with. They stayed strong for me and I owe it to them to never put our family through anything like that again.

"The people who really know me never lost faith in me. Everyone has opinions, but I know who I am and the character I truly have. I've grown up and am ready for the future. There's nothing that I feel like I can't handle at this point in my life and am looking nowhere but forward."

After two years away from school and basketball, part of that time in prison and the other half working at a restaurant, he is now pursuing his master's degree in curriculum and education at Angelo State and leads the Rams with 16.0 points, 7.79 rebounds per game and has recorded five double-doubles. He's a father who is taking care of his 3-year-old son, Demario, Jr., with his girlfriend of four years, Jasmine Robinson, and is a person who is working every day to prove that past mistakes have made him into a stronger, more committed, person. 

"I have made mistakes in my life just like every other person in this world," ASU head coach Chris Beard said. "I believe every person is a second-chance person in some way. I know I am. Demario is no different. He has overcome some obstacles and mistakes in his life and is making the most of each day's opportunities. He is committed to being a father, committed to his family, committed to getting his master degree at ASU, and is as unselfish of a teammate as I've ever coached.  I am proud to be Demario's coach."

Demario arrived at ASU in the fall after also playing college basketball at the University of Georgia and Charlotte. A highly-recruited high school player who starred at Franklin County in Royston, Georgia, Mayfield was named the Georgia High School Class 3A Player of the Year and was rated as the No. 17 point guard in the nation by ESPN. He committed to play for the Bulldogs in his junior season and signed with his home-state school during his senior season after averaging 23.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds. He would arrive at Georgia as a freshman, but the head coach who had recruited and signed him was let go before he walked on campus. He would play in only 18 games as a freshman, averaging around six minutes a game, and decided to transfer to Charlotte. The decision meant he would have to sit out a year due to transfer rules, but the change was needed and the 49ers offered him an opportunity to continue playing Division I basketball and also an increased role.

At Charlotte, Mayfield was the team's third leading scorer at 11.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game during his sophomore season where he also had 74 assists and started 28 of 29 games. It looked like the move to North Carolina was going to work and the start of his junior season furthered that thought. Through 18 games, Demario was leading the team with 11.7 points per game and also was averaging 3.6 rebounds per game. Despite on-court success, Mayfield slipped up off the court and was dismissed from the team for a violation of university policies. It put a sudden halt to a career which was on the rise and forced him to reevaluate.  

"I messed up and should have learned my lesson right then," Mayfield said.

Unfortunately, there would be more.

Demario, who had found a new team by signing to play at Morehead State, never allowed himself to play for his third Division I program. A night, which "getting money was all I was thinking about", put his life, reputation and basketball career all in jeopardy.  Along with a friend, Demario was arrested and charged with robbery, loitering and possession. He pled guilty and was sentenced to a year in prison, taking him away from his newborn son and his family and forcing him to understand the path his life was going.

"I take full responsibility for that night," Mayfield said. "I knew the consequences, but I lost sight of what was really important. I knew better and never should have put myself in that position. My life flashed before my eyes.

"My son means the world to me and I will always try to strive to be a great father for him," Mayfield added. "I grew up without my father in my life and I almost put myself in a position where he was going to grow up without a father too. My mistakes could have cost us everything and I know that. I can't make those mistakes again. My son brightens my day and makes me a better person. He drives me to never quit."

His profile as a talented basketball player made the arrest into screaming headlines throughout the internet. They included sentiments that his career was over and the stories explained how he had squandered multiple opportunities. The blogs talked about his stats in high school, his signing with Georgia, his strong play and impressive stat lines at Charlotte. But they also depicted a night where horrible decisions were made, how close he was to facing death and noted, "More than likely, this arrest will mark the end of his tumultuous college hoops career."

What the stories never talked about was that his life was not over. Read those stories and neglect to realize that life continues and you'd think Demario was given a life's sentence and that no one would ever believe in him again. That's not what happened though. With a newborn son and a family who were supporting him, Demario served his time in prison and was released. He worked at a restaurant as part of a work-release program and still had a dream of a better future for his son and himself. He also had a year of eligibility to play basketball, despite already earning his bachelor's degree from Charlotte.

Chances are limited in our society and he knew it would be tough to get another opportunity. He looked around and was connected with the ASU coaching staff who went to Georgia, visited with him, talked to his family and did in-depth research into Demario's background by talking to other coaches. Despite the legal troubles, coach Beard and associate head coach Cinco Boone found no one who didn't speak well of Mayfield. They found a large collection of people who believed in him and thought he should be allowed another opportunity. Boone would stay in contact with Mayfield throughout the summer, talking almost every day to Demario and his girlfriend, Jasmine, to see how they were doing and solidify the interest and establish a relationship.

With both sides firmly committed, Demario, Jasmine and their son moved to San Angelo where he enrolled at ASU to pursue his master's degree and started preparing to play basketball again for the first time in two years. His dedication, leadership and talent was immediately realized by the coaching staff who knew its decision to give Demario another chance was the right choice.

"Demario has been everything that I expected and more," Boone said. "From my very first conversation with him last spring, I knew he had a certain level of maturity about him and just a very level headed, good hearted person. His previous basketball experiences, combined with his life experiences in general, have shaped him into a very good leader and it has had a positive impact on our basketball team. He is very talented but also very unselfish and will play any role that is asked of him. Guys like that are so valuable."

Mayfield has had an incredible start to his senior season at ASU where he leads the team with 16.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and is coming off the program's first triple-double after scoring 14 points and contributing 13 assists and 10 rebounds on Tuesday against Arlington Baptist. He also has double-doubles against Western State (14/11), UTPB (23/11) and a pair against McMurry where he scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds in the first meeting between the two teams and then had 11 points and 14 rebounds last Friday in Abilene in the second matchup.

Demario is one of five seniors on this year's team which includes Chris Jones, Raijon Kelly, Marsell Holden and Tommy Woolridge. The five players have each taken different paths along their journey to Angelo State and Mayfield knew that his situation would require him to explain and prove why he deserved another opportunity.  

"I've talked to everyone on this team about my situation and what I went through the past couple of years," Mayfield said. "I've been at the highest level of college basketball, but I also lost all of it because of my decisions. You can never take anything for granted. It's important to remain focused on the present and be grateful for what you have. There are no shortcuts in life and I learned that lesson the hard way."

"It tells you a lot about the person he is by what he is doing with his life right now," said Holden of Mayfield. "He has overcome a lot of adversity and has taken responsibility for his mistakes. He's our guy and we believe in him."

While he had to establish a relationship with new teammates at ASU this season, Mayfield's family support is the reason he is here. Their support, which was unflinching and strong, came from his grandmother, Carrie Mayfield, and his brother Keshaun
Mayfield who is a senior guard at Lindsay Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky. Basketball is important to the family, which is led by Tina who was a junior college all-American at Emmanuel College and then played at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Separated by distance these days, she watches as many games as possible online. Recently, when the Rams travelled to play in Colorado and New Mexico, she purchased a $30 pass to watch the games. When he struggled for the only time this season with four points on a 2 of 8 shooting performance against Western New Mexico, Tina joked with her son that she was going to call them and request her money back.

"I don't hold back on my opinions on how he played in a game," said Tina Mayfield, who was a junior college all-American at Emmanuel College and then played at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. "I'm not afraid of telling him what I think he could do better and what he needs to work on. It's a special bond we have between each other through the game."

An even stronger bond has developed between the two over the past couple of years as she helped guide him through his troubles and help him as a parent. Despite the pain she has endured by seeing his mistakes and their ramifications, Tina knows what is in her son's heart and believes his story is one of redemption bound for unlimited success.

"He has a big heart and is a leader. He is becoming a great father and a role model despite the trouble he's gotten himself into," Tina Mayfield said. "His son is his biggest motivator to keep going and I'm extremely proud of him for remembering who he is and what he can accomplish. I think he's learned and matured from his mistakes. He has his head on straight and sees where he wants to go in the future. He's never lost his ability to remain positive and I love him for that."

Demario is exemplifying the phrase, "Tough times pass. Tough people last." He's a committed father, a son, a brother, a grandson and a leader on the Rams basketball team. He lives today knowing who he is and understanding that he is blessed to have a supportive family back in Royston and a team at Angelo State which believes in him. He appreciates this opportunity.

Demario made his mistakes, owned up to them and is dedicating himself to making something of his life.  That's something his family is proud of and why they never lost confidence that he could once again shine like he is doing for the Rams right now.

"We have a strong family who doesn't give up on each other," Tina Mayfield said. "When he saw that we forgave him for his mistakes, it allowed him to move ahead and know that he could overcome it. We believe in second chances and we believe in Demario."