I think it is safe to presume Nate Mason is the best player on the Gophers. In fact, one could argue Nate Mason has been the best player on the Gophers since his freshman year.
Mason really did have an impressive rookie season. The year Hollins went down with that ankle injury, an injury he didn't really recover from, Mason stepped in easily, which is incredible considering Hollins had, at that point, proven himself to be one of the best Gophers of my generation.
Mason finished his freshman season shooting .409 from the field and .389 from 3, averaging 9.8 points per game and 2.8 assists.
For reference, that same season, Hollins was .377 from the field and .349 from 3, averaging 13.6 points per game and 2.4 assists.
Mason averaged 4 less minutes per game (26.5) than Hollins (30.5) did that season.
In the 2015-2016 campaign (last year), Mason truly had a sophomore slump. His minutes increased significantly, playing 6 more minutes per game than his freshman year (32.5), but, other than points per game, his stats dropped significantly. His field goal percentage fell to .389. His 3 point percentage was bad: .302. His assist rate remained mostly the same. We all know that Mason had some off the court issues last season, and the overall talent on the team was pretty awful, so obviously a PG is going to struggle with those issues.
However, I don't think I need to remind everyone how great Andre Hollins was his sophomore year, virtually leading the team to the NCAA tournament. Shooting .416 from the field and .418 from 3. Averaging 14.6 points per game to go with 3.4 assists. Hollins was truly amazing.
Now we are in the midst of Mason's Jr. season, and, so far, he is playing at the level Hollins was at his sophomore year.
Mason is .416 from the field and .455 from 3. Averaging 12.9 points per game to go with 5.2 assists.
Obviously, we are still in non-conference play, so the stats are going to be inflated as we play against inferior opponents. Nevertheless, it's worth pointing out that Mason has already attempted 44 3s this season and is making 45% of them.
If Mason can keep up his play into the Big 10 schedule, I have no doubt that this team can make the NCAA tournament. The luxury of having a great PG is invaluable, and Mason has quietly been that guy for the Gophers.
I draw the comparison to Hollins mostly because they are the same player. Hollins was definitely bigger than Mason, but both are combo guards who can be the primary ballhandler if need be, but may actually be more lethal from the SG spot if there was a competent PG to feed him. It will be exciting to see Mason next year as a senior with a true PG in Washington coming in take some minutes at the 1, allowing Mason to slide over to the 2.
In the meantime, does anyone here think Mason has a chance of playing onto an All Big Ten team?
Mason really did have an impressive rookie season. The year Hollins went down with that ankle injury, an injury he didn't really recover from, Mason stepped in easily, which is incredible considering Hollins had, at that point, proven himself to be one of the best Gophers of my generation.
Mason finished his freshman season shooting .409 from the field and .389 from 3, averaging 9.8 points per game and 2.8 assists.
For reference, that same season, Hollins was .377 from the field and .349 from 3, averaging 13.6 points per game and 2.4 assists.
Mason averaged 4 less minutes per game (26.5) than Hollins (30.5) did that season.
In the 2015-2016 campaign (last year), Mason truly had a sophomore slump. His minutes increased significantly, playing 6 more minutes per game than his freshman year (32.5), but, other than points per game, his stats dropped significantly. His field goal percentage fell to .389. His 3 point percentage was bad: .302. His assist rate remained mostly the same. We all know that Mason had some off the court issues last season, and the overall talent on the team was pretty awful, so obviously a PG is going to struggle with those issues.
However, I don't think I need to remind everyone how great Andre Hollins was his sophomore year, virtually leading the team to the NCAA tournament. Shooting .416 from the field and .418 from 3. Averaging 14.6 points per game to go with 3.4 assists. Hollins was truly amazing.
Now we are in the midst of Mason's Jr. season, and, so far, he is playing at the level Hollins was at his sophomore year.
Mason is .416 from the field and .455 from 3. Averaging 12.9 points per game to go with 5.2 assists.
Obviously, we are still in non-conference play, so the stats are going to be inflated as we play against inferior opponents. Nevertheless, it's worth pointing out that Mason has already attempted 44 3s this season and is making 45% of them.
If Mason can keep up his play into the Big 10 schedule, I have no doubt that this team can make the NCAA tournament. The luxury of having a great PG is invaluable, and Mason has quietly been that guy for the Gophers.
I draw the comparison to Hollins mostly because they are the same player. Hollins was definitely bigger than Mason, but both are combo guards who can be the primary ballhandler if need be, but may actually be more lethal from the SG spot if there was a competent PG to feed him. It will be exciting to see Mason next year as a senior with a true PG in Washington coming in take some minutes at the 1, allowing Mason to slide over to the 2.
In the meantime, does anyone here think Mason has a chance of playing onto an All Big Ten team?