🏀 KuBuckets Archive

FROM THE WAY BACK MACHINE:

"The trouble with Frank Mason is that he drives out of control and can't finish. He doesn't know when to drive and not drive. He's not really a point guard. Devonte should be playing point guard. Frank can't really distribute. He's just drive or shoot."--paraphrase of Composite Jayhawk Fan Handley Ringer during Franks freshman and sophomore seasons, and of course early his junior season.

Frank has become a consummate point guard.

Frank is the only KU point guard I have ever seen go into the Psi Zone for two distinct stretches of a season.

The guy played insanely good in that god awful Gallagher-Iba band box.

(Note: fake fan Handley Ringer was interviewed on fCNN, a little seen cable news channel that broadcasts on a pirate station from the City of London.)

(Note: all fiction. No malice. Except the part about Frank playing insanely good.)

@jaybate-1.0 I remember .. fondly now .. the Florida game his freshman year. Some out of control drives into Florida's bigs down low. Looked too Tyshawn-esq for me. He soon figured it out.

Best KU point guard … ever?

Like back to those "national championships" in the 20s?

Better than JoJo, better than Pritchard, better than Jacque, Aaron and one of my personal favorites, Adonis? Better than the '08 boys, including the guy that Frank was the supposedly the "next" one -- Sherron.

Give me a team, and make Frank Mason my point guard. That's all that need to be said.

The best.

@HighEliteMajor I'm certainly not very qualified to say so, but I still think he's damn sure in the top 5, maybe even 3. Best I've seen since Self's been here anyway. JMO

@HighEliteMajor

Mason had to transition from the volume scorer he was in Hs to a true college PG. Once he completed the transition he became a complete multidimensional and steady player and arguably the best PG ever at KU.

For me Frank is already the #1 PG in KU history and if he is able to lead us to the Final 4 this year it will only add to his already brilliant career. That is the missing piece of the puzzle that other guards like Miles and Sherron were able to put together.

I remember when I fell in love with Frank's game. A friend somehow landed us floor seats to the KU vs. Duke Champions Classic game Frank's freshman year. We were all wondering who this 5'7 kid was who came in and played incredibly solid and scrappy defense and was cold blooded from the free throw line. His game has advanced in every way since that performance but it was a fabulous preview to what has become an illustrious Kansas career.

@jaybate-1.0 that was probably me lol. I actually thought Tharpe would end up better than Mason. Oops.

@chriz

It was prolly a lot of us!

I'm proud of him. He is a wonderful testament of hard work, dedication, and believing in yourself.

I think the turning point was the trip to S Korea. We saw a much improved Frank Mason in that tournament when he had more scoring threats around him. He was more in control and distributed with more confidence.

I expected fantastic things last year because of that experience.. and he had seasoned upperclassmen and talent all around, but I think he played injured and tended to defer to Selden and Ellis.

This year, no more deferring. He can shoot better than ever and he can drive and take contact better than ever...

His vision of the court is better -- Turnovers have been greatly reduced from the early years.. The game is truly moving at a different speed for him.

@HighEliteMajor and @Blown

Sometimes the right player and the right coach find each other. There is something about Frank's game that is an embodiment of the very best of Bill Self basketball. He makes plays, not just shots. Frank is TOUGH, not just durable. Frank is like the pick up truck of point guards. He is beyond versatile and practical. He is everything you need him to be on every job. He is like Filson waxed duck pants on a hike through a forest. Filson: "May as well have the best."