A couple days in Drake Maye’s old stomping grounds led to a very long story, but as always, there were a few things that wound up on the chopping block.
For the feature, I spoke to his dad, Mark, his three older brothers, Luke, Cole, and Beau, and an assortment of other people close to the Patriots quarterback. Whether it was a pointed question from an assistant general manager, an absurdly large breakfast spread, or Drake’s go-to basketball move in NBA 2K, sometimes 3,500 words just isn’t enough space.
So without further ado, here are 10 more anecdotes that I couldn’t fit into Monday’s story — How Drake Maye’s family forged unflinching confidence in Patriots QB — which you probably should have read first:
Could Drake have played hoops at UNC?
Football coach Mack Brown said yes, and he would have been a quality sixth man. It’s a polarizing question among Maye family members, as Drake was a fantastic high school hoops player, and the general consensus was that he probably could have played for the Tar Heels.
(National champion at UNC) Luke: “He would have to really work on a couple of things, but I definitely think he could have been on the team. I don’t know if he would have gotten minutes. But he jokes about some guys that are out there that he thinks he could definitely guard or get a bucket on, which I think is hilarious.”
Cole: “He could have played at UNC, to some degree. I don’t know to what extent he would have been on the court… I think Drake could have played a role on that team. Any of the teams over the last two seasons… He still is a really good basketball player.”
Mark: “Yeah, I think he definitely could have helped them. He’s a good passer, scorer, he’s got good size… Drake would love to try. He’d love to give it a shot.”
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Eddie Haskell?
Drake is very well-mannered. He addresses just about everyone as sir or ma’am. He’s polite to the point that in the pre-draft process, an assistant general manager asked his high school coach Scott Chadwick whether he was “an Eddie Haskell,” the charming, but trouble-causing neighbor from “Leave It To Beaver.”
“That analogy could not be farther from the truth. He is not an Eddie Haskell,” Chadwick said. “He’s not a yes sir, no sir then a jerk behind the scenes. He is a fabulous kid.”
Competition continues
Drake Maye may be an NFL first-round pick, but he still competes frequently with Luke, Cole, and Beau — and Luke still believes he’s got his little brother beat in overall athleticism.
“I honestly think I’m the best all-around athlete in the family. All sports,” Luke said. “Just kinda putting them all together, I think I perform the best. But Drake thinks he’s right there with me.”
Wanted: A chicken coop
When the boys were growing up, the daily breakfast at the Maye household consisted of 36 eggs and two pounds of bacon. Even with the massive spread, Luke was most likely to still be hungry afterward.
“The older I get, the worse I feel for my mom,” Beau said. “I feel bad.”
- Related: The much longer Drake Maye profile
Fans of an ex-Patriots QB, but not the one you think
Growing up, Drake’s father Mark had Carolina Panthers season tickets. It was a quick drive to the stadium from their hometown of Huntersville — 15 minutes without traffic, Mark estimates — and the boys were particularly invested in the Cam Newton era.
A funnier response
While “Luke is better!” chants from opposing student sections drove Drake crazy in high school, his brother Beau also got them, and was unfazed thanks to a very pragmatic approach.
“I’d be like, of course he’s better. He’s playing at Carolina. Obviously he’s better,” Beau said.
Into the fire
Drake started playing tackle football at 6 years old. He was younger than most kids at the Junior Eagles Football Association, but Mark coached so he could keep a close eye on him. They just couldn’t keep Drake off the field.
“When you have older brothers and you’re always at the games, it makes it more difficult to hold him out,” Luke said. “I think he was like first grade in a second, third, fourth-grade league.”
Thunder rolls
When playing NBA 2K growing up, Drake always wanted to play using the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were stacked with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
“Drake’s team was the Thunder when they had KD, Russ, and Harden off the bench,” Beau said. “He would do the classic move to take out Thabo Sefolosha and put in Harden at the 2 and run Russ, Harden, KD, Serge Ibaka, and Hasheem Thabeet or Kendrick Perkins. That team was (loaded) so I’m not sure how much it was him or the team, but he did win a lot.”
A family scorekeeper
When the Maye boys were growing up, Aimee could often be found in the stands with a spiral-bound notebook in her hands, keeping stats during basketball games. It’s something that she did to relax a bit, according to Mark.
“They really are the absolute best people,” Drake’s high school basketball coach Scott Taylor said. “The sweetest people. The most humble. (Drake’s) humility is not in any part insincere or not genuine. That is exactly who he is. It’s almost laughable how he laughs everything off. But it’s every bit how they have all grown up.”
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drake’s dad
Long-time NFL quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen is well known for coaching some of the greatest NFL signal callers of this era. Back in the 1980s, he coached Mark a little bit when he was in high school, too. Then a college assistant, Christensen was helping out at a Gus Purcell passing camp when Mark was one of the top quarterbacks there.
“He was a sponge,” Christensen said. “‘Just tell me how to get better. Whatever that is.’ And that was even in high school. I think he’s still the same way. He’ll call or he’ll come see (UNC offensive coordinator Chip) Lindsey and I and just, ‘Hey, tell us what to expect. Tell us how to do this well. How do I support my son?’ Just a great dad.”
Mark was also recruited by Al Groh, father of Patriots executive Matt, who was then the head coach at Wake Forest. Ultimately, Mark opted to stick to his Carolina roots and play at UNC.
