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Kevarrius Hayes, Zalgiris: 'There's no room for quitting'

Kevarrius Hayes, Zalgiris: 'There's no room for quitting'

Interviews

15 March 20236 Mins read

Javier Gancedo

Senior Manager, Editorial

Kevarrius Hayes, Zalgiris: 'There's no room for quitting'

It is normal for American players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague to be many thousands of kilometers away from their families. Kevarrius Hayes, however, went through that process at an early age, when his mother, Army Capt. Verrice Hayes, left for several deployments she made to the Middle East.

Verrice Hayes became a single mother as a high school senior, but got an undergraduate college degree at Edward Waters University, then a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix while serving in the Army. Her degrees helped her become the commanding officer of the 993rd Transportation Company, specialized in transporting cargo around the world. It is no surprise that Kevarrius inherited her perseverance and work ethic.

"She's the reason why I'm here today."

"She's always been there, even used to drive me two or three hours to go practice growing up. So she's definitely been around to teach me [that] hard work and perseverance pays off. In many ways, she's the reason why I'm here today, Hayes said.

"The way you carry yourself, there is always professionalism as far as being a basketball player. You've got to uphold your integrity, your image. So then you do things to the fullest or that's supposed to be done," he added. "And as far as like being an Army captain, it's the same thing. You've got to be very professional. And when you come in, you've got to be on your game. She's definitely always had like the military mentality when it comes to discipline, like doing things the right way. So, she definitely applies that even with some of her soldiers getting things done on time and being very punctual and very structured."

Kevarrius's mother was deployed three times, and by her third deployment in Kuwait, technology had taken over, allowing them to be in touch more often and even see each other.

"That's when Skype was around and then FaceTime became a thing. So it made it a little easier to kind of keep in touch," he said. "We had certain days of the week where she was actually on base and not in the field and we could talk, but it was definitely not the same as having her around, but you work with what you can."

Skype allowed Kevarrius to share a precious moment with his mom, like signing his scholarship to University of Florida, a dream come true for both. Hayes grew up in Live Oak, barely an hour away from Gainesville, where the University of Florida's headquarters are located.

"It was a very big signing for me. I was a huge fan of the Florida Gators, so to be able to go there was great. I knew that she couldn't be there but then when the idea presented itself, like we can just have her on Skype while we do the signing, I thought it was great," Hayes recalls. "We even had little moments where we actually could talk before and after the signing was done. She just told me how proud of me she was, and that was a very special moment to me."

"I started to admire her for the sacrifices she made."

Verrice eventually returned to the United States for good. Now, Hayes is the one working overseas, playing basketball in Italy, France, Turkey and now Lithuania. Kevarrius's mother is a big basketball fan and even played the game at a young age. Kevarrius is now in the EuroLeague, playing in a basketball-crazy country, which makes his games more accessible for her, too.

"She loves it. She played when she was in high school and she played in college. She still tells me stories about how when I was younger, I used to be a little disruptive because I'd be sitting in the stands with my grandmother, but then I'd end up throwing my toys on the court. She loves the game and she loves watching me play," Hayes said.

Hayes talks to his mother on regular basis. Technology has taken over and her life has changed a lot since her days in the Middle East. Of course, they talk to each other whenever possible.

"A couple of times a week. She's a little less busy because now she's on base at Fort Hood. She's doing good. And she actually got married, like a year ago now," Hayes said. "[Her husband] is actually closer to me than she is because he's stationed right now overseas, so he's actually planning to come around the same time she does. And it'd be good to have us all together again. And I can show her finally, like my part of the world, what I know."

Being a strong woman who made so many sacrifices for her son, it is only logical that Kevarrius is close to his mother and considers her a role model. She brought him up and made sure to do everything required for him to be successful in life. For that, Kevarrius will be forever grateful.

"As I got older, I understand that it wasn't easy for her, especially being a single parent, let alone having to be halfway across the world from her only child. So I started to admire her for the sacrifices she made and everything she's done to help me," Hayes said. "I guess the one strong lesson that I remember that I still hold on to is that you don't quit. You come here to do a job, you do it and when it's done, then you can decide if you want to keep going or not.So for any time that I'm on that court, I know there's no room for quitting. You can't let up."