A Close Look in at Frank Mason - Kansas Jayhawks' Four-Year Warrior

Apr 6, 2017
4 min read

You know you have a special player on your hands when they win every single National Player of the Year award possible. With that said, enter Frank Mason III's name into that conversation. Mason III has won the Oscar Robertson award, the AP National Player of the Year award, the Naismith National Player of the Year award, and the NABC Player of the Year award. Overall, he is considered the consensus Player of the Year in college basketball for the 2016-2017 season.

For the past four seasons, the Kansas Jayhawks have continued to be a powerhouse in the Big 12 and all around the nation because Mason III has lead the charge. Kansas head coach, Bill Self looks at Frank Mason III like own son, Tyler Self. If you cannot figure out why, I feel bad for you. Watch one Kansas basketball game from the past four seasons to solve the case. Luckily, I have had the fortune of watching all of the Kansas basketball games that Mason III has been at the helm in the backcourt.

The untold tale about this magnificent point guard revolves around the Virginia native's original commitment to Towson. You read that correctly, Mason III went from playing for Towson for his four-year career to playing at Phog Allen Fieldhouse for the Kansas Jayhawks for four years, under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self. The floor general from Petersburg, Virginia is an inspiration to all of the young, aspiring college basketball players that do not get put into ESPN's top-100 recruits. Moreover, he is the role model for the high school basketball players that take it to heart that they are heavily recruited or they are given the label of an "All-American". I cannot be the only one who finds it funny that a kid labeled as a "three-star", 79 overall-rated recruit out of high school, ended up being the best college basketball player in the entire 2016-2017 season.

Above anyone else, the lead guard wore his heart on his sleeve throughout his tremendous career. The fact that Mason III never won a national championship is an injustice to the Kansas Jayhawks and college basketball, as a whole. As a Kansas Jayhawks fan, I have watched Frank Mason go jumping through crowds and slide all over many basketball courts for loose balls. With the way that college basketball is currently set up, stars like Mason III do not need to hustle for anything. Many star guards in the modern age only care about shooting and cherry-picking at the offensive end of the court. Frank Mason III incorporates his passing well into the flow of the game. From the point guard position, he controls the pace and the tempo of the game. He has the uncanny ability of knowing the opportune time of knowing when to attack and when to draw the clock out and drain the jumper. When the 2016-2017 season first rolled around, Frank Mason III hit the game-winning pull-up jumper at the Champions Classic in Madison Square Garden against the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils. For people who try to discredit this young man for his accomplishments (such as this one), keep in mind that he hit the tough jump shot against Duke's best defender, Matt Jones.

Defensively, he is the best 5'11 defender in the country. When you play at a height that is below average at the collegiate level, you need to possess other traits that can level everything out. For Frank Mason III, his unbridled toughness and tenacity means his opposition is going to have a long game every time they step in between the lines. The opposing point guard better pack a lunch, or maybe two. Mason III lives on top of the basketball on the defensive end. In the unforgettable three overtime battle against Oklahoma at Allen Fieldhouse in the 2015-2016 season, Mason III got the steal off an inbounds play from the Sooners; which secured the win for his team. If a player is dribbling against Frank Mason III, they better keep the basketball as close to them as they can.

Not only is this man a legendary Jayhawk in general but he is the type of person that you want to represent your college basketball team. The most unforgettable moment of Mason III's career has nothing to do with his accomplishments on the court. The tribute that he gave to his five-year old son, Amari Mason, during his senior night speech was heartfelt and emotional for anyone who watched it. His teammate, Josh Jackson spoke in the past about how he and his teammates knew Mason III's motivation as a basketball player from the first day that they all arrived in Lawrence, Kansas. This man's love for his son is what will drive him to be successful at the next level of basketball.

When any Kansas player or Kansas fan walks into Phog Allen Fieldhouse, they will feel the aura that #0 left.