Story by Mike Kemper
At JCCC, student voices tell the story of our campus. Each month during the academic year, the JCCC Updates column will feature a story originally published in The Messenger, JCCC’s student newspaper, to share student-reported stories about the issues, events, and people shaping campus life with the Johnson County community. This article was written by student journalist Gabrielle Thompson and originally appeared in The Messenger.
“I think back to the last couple of years, and I’ve come a long way,” Mason said. “I have the guys on the team to thank for that.”
Mason walked off the basketball court after his final high school game three years earlier, fully expecting his basketball career to be over. He battled adversity throughout his senior year, playing through a painful injury sustained the summer before in a pickup game.
“I went to lay the ball up, and somebody took my legs out from underneath me,” Mason said. “I came down, landed right on my kneecap and broke it.”
He took a month off to let his kneecap heal and felt it had healed enough to play. He started practicing. However, when the pain returned, he consulted a doctor, who told him the kneecap was still broken. He had to decide whether to play through it or undergo season-ending surgery. He chose to play.
Finding a new purpose at JCCC
After the season ended, with no prospects of playing at the next level, Mason decided it was time for surgery. His recovery from kneecap surgery was expected to take three to six months, longer and more difficult than he had expected.
With that news, Mason knew there was a high probability he was done with organized basketball and that his playing career was over. The prospect of not playing again crushed him.
Mason shifted in his seat as he paused to think about that time in his life.
“Basketball was my life growing up, and it was over,” Mason said. “That’s kind of when I started getting into a little bit of a dark place because I had so much free time on my hands, and I didn’t know what to do with it.”
Mason was still trying to figure things out and decide what he wanted to do. He had always been active, but the surgery had limited his ability to stay active. He didn’t love school, but he knew he needed to do something, so he enrolled for his freshman year.
Hard work pays off
Mason leaned into his recovery and started working out. It was slow at first, but he regained his strength. With renewed energy and purpose, he began taking his conditioning to the next level.
The summer after his freshman year on campus, he began attending the open gyms run by the JCCC men’s basketball team. After playing, guarding, running, and showing what he could do on the court, the coaches took notice.
“He’d come, and he’d defend hard, and he’d shoot it well, and eventually it was just like, man, this guy’s playing well,” Coach Taylor Jones said. “I think he’d be a good addition to our team.”
Learning consistency on and off the court
Mason received a scholarship to play for JCCC’sbasketball team. His drive and determination not only helped him make the team but also contributed to a 31-3 team that finished eighth nationally.
Mason proved to be a great teammate on and off the court.
“He’s consistent and shows up every day,” teammate River Peters said. “I feel he has the right mindset. Team-first guy, for sure.”
Jones agreed and believed he had grown from his freshman season. Going into his sophomore season, he will be counted on to lead by example and to be a good teammate.
“He’s a really good locker room guy because he is going to bring it every day,” Jones said. “But he is also going to welcome these new guys and get along and include them in activities off the court.”
Preparing for a future beyond basketball
Mason knows there is more to life than basketball, and he has taken that into account as he moves forward in his journey. He wants to own a business and be an entrepreneur, and he also hopes to become a marine biologist and live on the coast.
“Whether I’m on the basketball court, whether I’m a business owner, or whether I’m in Florida doing marine biology,” Mason said, “making a positive impact on people really means something to me now.”
Whether you’re interested in playing sports at JCCC or want to cheer on the teams, stay up to date on all the Cavalier info at jcccathletics.com.
