D-Mas - Dameon Mason to Marquette

Dameon Mason showed that he is more than just an athlete this summer while clamping
down on the defensive side of the ball.

By Frank Rusnak
After competing against America's very best this summer, West Aurora's Dameon Mason realized one thing; he belongs.

While Mason continued to prove that he fit in with the nation's elite players, Marquette tried to prove that Mason belonged with the Golden Eagles. He decided on Friday, August 2, that, yes, Marquette is the place for him, passing up on offers from Oklahoma, Boston College, Oregon, Missouri and DePaul, among others.

A 6'5" wing originally from Kansas City, MO, Mason moved to Illinois for his sophomore year. After spending one season with Waubonsie Valley in suburban Naperville, he decided that neighboring West Aurora was the best fit for him, both academically and athletically.

"He can jump with anybody, he plays hard and he gives you the same great effort every night."

Mac Irvin
Illinois Fire Coach

Carrying a 40-plus inch vertical, Mason is excited about what lies ahead for him at Marquette.

"I love the whole system [at Marquette]," said Mason. "It's a program on the rise and I could go there and make a big impact."

While Mason said that MU Coach Tom Crean wants him to help fill the void of current Golden Eagle star Dwyane Wade (Richards H.S.) -- assuming he declares himself eligible for next year's NBA Draft -- Mason and Wade have had similar paths.

Both 6'5", they didn't break onto the national scene until the summer going into their senior years. While Wade played very little AAU and club team basketball until his senior year, Mason grew up playing summer ball, but only locally. This past year he participated with Mac Irvin's Illinois Fire team.

"He can jump with anybody, he plays hard and he gives you the same great effort every night," said Irvin.

Mason teamed with other Illinois stars such as Jimmie Miles (Homewood Christian), Jeremy Pargo (Robeson), Lorenzo Thompson and Florentino Valencia (both of Crane) on the Fire, which competed in tournaments in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Michigan and Nevada.

"We had a dynamite team with tons of talent and we played against all the best teams," said Mason. "I think it just shows that in Illinois I think we've got the most talented group of teams in the country."

Irvin remembers Mason's shinning moment of the summer coming against Blairstown New Jersey's Luol Deng, who some have rated as high as No. 2 nationally.

At the Three Stripes Classic in Hempstead, New York, Irvin didn't look far down his team's bench to see whom he should assign to the 6'7" Deng.

"Dameon stopped him, that's how we won," recalled Irvin. "Dameon kept him busy. It's difficult (for Deng) to shoot when you got to guard someone, too. The kid (Deng) is good though, no doubt. I think Dameon just got the best of him that game."

Aside from touring with the Adidas sponsored Fire, Mason has been working out with his old AAU coach and former NBA player Sonny Parker.

Coming to Aurora's Prisco Center three times weekly throughout the summer, Parker puts Mason through a rigorous series of events.

"The first hour I don't even touch a ball," said Mason, who does stretching and strength work to begin the day.

Then, it's onto ball-handling drills with cones, and shooting drills that require him to make a hundred shots within a 10-minute span. He ends the workouts running in the pool and working on leg strength exercises, coupled with defensive tactics.

Mason hopes that all of the hard work pays off during the high school season where he'll help his team rebound off a supersectional loss to Glenbard North. While individual accolades are sure to come his way, it is the team success that Mason holds in the forefront of his mind.

"I'd love to be Mr. Basketball," said Mason. "I'm just going to go out and work my hardest. But as long as we win state, I don't care what individual achievement I get."