By JACOB POLACHECK
If Alston Mason wasn’t on the national radar heading into this season, he surely is now.
After finishing with 22 points, four rebounds and five assists Friday night, Mason and Blue Valley Northwest (KS) High School handed Bishop Miege (KS) High School its first loss of the season.
Blue Valley Northwest now moves to 18-1 on the season and Mason is now becoming a hot commodity on the recruiting trail.
“Alston has had a great year,” Blue Valley Northwest head coach Ed Fritz said Saturday. “His ability to change speeds and break down a defense is outstanding. He has shot the three-point shot at over 44 percent and has a 3-to-1 assists to turnover ratio. Great teammate.”
Mason, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard, is currently ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 42 point guard in the Class of 2021.
Mason describes himself as a ‘point guard that can play both guard positions’.
“I can do everything that a coach needs me to do: pass, shoot, create for others, not just for myself, defend, rebound, bring energy to the game, love the game, bring passion, joy and I’m always willing to win,” he said.
Kansas State became the latest school to get involved when the Wildcats extended an offer to Mason late Friday.
“I’ve been talking to coach [Chris] Lowery for a little while now,” Mason said in an interview with ZAGSBLOG Saturday. “I had a couple Zooms with them before. I like how straightforward they are with me and how they feel about me. They really feel like I can impact the program and that’s what I like to hear.”
Mason says he’s starting to look at times for a decision, but he’s not sure what schools he’s going to cut from his list.
“I’m still unsure, but maybe in the next month or so,” Mason said on a commitment timetable.
Mason said that Kansas State, Loyola-Chicago, Maryland, Ole Miss, Georgia, San Diego State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois are currently the main schools involved in his recruitment.
Among his list, Kansas State and Southern Illinois are currently the only schools that have extended offers.
He broke down each school:
Southern Illinois: “The school itself is actually really nice. It’s in a mid-major conference and they play in a pretty good mid-major conference. It’s a good program. I like the coaching staff, so overall it’s a good program.”
Loyola-Chicago: “They also talked about how they like my game and how I could fit into their program. They have a player from my school that goes there [Clayton Custer], talking about how much he loves it. Knowing someone there, that has an effect on me and can improve my relationship there.”
Maryland: “I like to coach Bino [Ranson] for a little bit. He’s talked about how much they like me as a point guard and how I could fill that role for them.”
Ole Miss: “They have pretty much talked about how they would want to play me off-ball and on-ball. Given that they’ve already got one point guard committed [Daeshun Ruffin], they talk about how me and him can come in as a freshman duo and play well together.”
Georgia: “It’s kind of similar with Georgia, given that they have K.D. Johnson there. I know they’ve got a couple guys leaving, they said that I would fit into the program really well.”
San Diego State: “It’s a great school and a great opportunity. They have great coaches. I think it’s one of the best conferences in the nation, to me. I like the coaching staff and they like the way I can create for others, score for myself and play for a team.”
Missouri State: I talked to them for a little bit. They have a couple Mokan guys and I play for Mokan [Elite], so I have some type of relationship with them. Knowing that they have a young core, me coming in could also help lead them to some more wins.”
When making a decision, Mason says the coaching staff is his main focus.
“Since COVID is going on, I want to know who is going to be coming back because that has an affect on things too,” he said. “Definitely the coaching staff, the culture and those are probably the bigger things.
Mason says that his father and coach Fritz will be the main people helping in his decision-making process.
Growing up, Mason moved a lot, with his father playing basketball overseas. He was born in Belgium and has spent time living in Amsterdam as well.
“Because of my dual-citizenship, what I’m hoping to do is tryout for the German National Team and play there,” Mason said. “We’ve been all over. We moved from Belgium in 2006 to Arizona. We went back to Amsterdam after a year in Arizona.”
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