BleedGopher
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per Chip:
Mason has played basketball for as long as he can remember. Having that taken away at the end of last season crushed him.
Gophers coach Richard Pitino suspended Mason, Dupree McBrayer and Kevin Dorsey after an lewd video was posted on a social media account belonging to Dorsey, who transferred after the season. The three didn’t commit a crime, just showed poor judgment.
Mason hated being in public after the incident because he was embarrassed. He called home constantly to apologize. His parents noticed he lost weight.
“I told him that if this is the biggest mistake of your life, you’re going to have a great life,” Nate Sr. said. “A lot of us make mistakes. Some of us can’t rebound from it. This is one you can rebound from. You see it this year in his play and his attitude. Even when he talks, it’s all different now.”
Basketball became his escape. Mason said he went out socially only one night last summer. He worked out like never before.
“I lived in the gym,” he said. “That [incident] definitely made me grow up and matured me real quick. It was like, ‘You’ve got to really focus.’ ”
He displayed that focus all season, particularly in Big Ten games. He finished in the top five in the league in scoring, assists, steals, free-throw shooting and assists-to-turnover ratio in conference games.
His leadership has blossomed, too. Pitino appreciates his point guard’s poise and confidence but also his approach.
“Same demeanor every day,” Pitino said.
Mason credits a video that Pitino showed the entire team of Kansas point guard Frank Mason III during a hard-fought game this season. KU’s Mason kept bending over, clearly fatigued, but he made key plays in crunch time to lead his team to victory.
“Coach just showed us how resilient the good teams are when they’re tired,” Nate Mason said. “Fortunately, he showed us right before we had a tough game [vs. Iowa]. It motivated us a lot to push through.”
The Gophers won in double overtime as Mason finished with 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two blocks.
Two weeks earlier, Mason’s father visited for the Wisconsin game. He met a family with two young kids at Williams Arena and struck up a conversation. One of the boys asked if he was indeed Mason’s dad.
“Nate is my favorite player,” the kid said.
Nate Sr. beamed with pride.
http://www.startribune.com/nate-mas...d-grew-into-tough-confident-leader/416090174/
Go Gophers!!
Mason has played basketball for as long as he can remember. Having that taken away at the end of last season crushed him.
Gophers coach Richard Pitino suspended Mason, Dupree McBrayer and Kevin Dorsey after an lewd video was posted on a social media account belonging to Dorsey, who transferred after the season. The three didn’t commit a crime, just showed poor judgment.
Mason hated being in public after the incident because he was embarrassed. He called home constantly to apologize. His parents noticed he lost weight.
“I told him that if this is the biggest mistake of your life, you’re going to have a great life,” Nate Sr. said. “A lot of us make mistakes. Some of us can’t rebound from it. This is one you can rebound from. You see it this year in his play and his attitude. Even when he talks, it’s all different now.”
Basketball became his escape. Mason said he went out socially only one night last summer. He worked out like never before.
“I lived in the gym,” he said. “That [incident] definitely made me grow up and matured me real quick. It was like, ‘You’ve got to really focus.’ ”
He displayed that focus all season, particularly in Big Ten games. He finished in the top five in the league in scoring, assists, steals, free-throw shooting and assists-to-turnover ratio in conference games.
His leadership has blossomed, too. Pitino appreciates his point guard’s poise and confidence but also his approach.
“Same demeanor every day,” Pitino said.
Mason credits a video that Pitino showed the entire team of Kansas point guard Frank Mason III during a hard-fought game this season. KU’s Mason kept bending over, clearly fatigued, but he made key plays in crunch time to lead his team to victory.
“Coach just showed us how resilient the good teams are when they’re tired,” Nate Mason said. “Fortunately, he showed us right before we had a tough game [vs. Iowa]. It motivated us a lot to push through.”
The Gophers won in double overtime as Mason finished with 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two blocks.
Two weeks earlier, Mason’s father visited for the Wisconsin game. He met a family with two young kids at Williams Arena and struck up a conversation. One of the boys asked if he was indeed Mason’s dad.
“Nate is my favorite player,” the kid said.
Nate Sr. beamed with pride.
http://www.startribune.com/nate-mas...d-grew-into-tough-confident-leader/416090174/
Go Gophers!!