KU fans love Frank. @HighEliteMajor fine post on Frank makes clear his radical conversion to Frankophilia.
Strangers love him, too. Those bald talking heads that populate national fake media tried hard to sell EST Edsels at PG much of the season , but finally they cracked for Frank's Ferarri.
Award givers so prone to pre-branded players in EST and PST? They fell all over themselves trying to give Frank their fineries. Frank hit the mother load on awards.
So what made Frank's season so great?
Didn't win a ring.
Didn't get to THE FOUR.
Didn't have a career game his last time on the college shellac.
Didn't shoot lights out in FGAs at 49%.
Didn't even lead his team in steals
So: why do all the hard hearts and privilege-deserves-its rank types LUV THEM SOME FRANK, like all the of us bleeders of crimson and blue blood?
What's so great about Frank?
First off, despite the tats, ripped out muscles everywhere, and the face that ocassionally screws up into a Shitzu's mug, well, he's diminutive as your favorite small breed dog all dolled with a sheared do on top taking Blue at one of those shows in the mid 500s you surf by looking for the KU game. Frank is homely cute as a button. I know. Button cute ain't cool theses days, but Frank Mason restored cute to the respect it has always deserved--made cute and diminutive as cool again. About time, too. I am big but I appreciate small and in between, too. Viva l'difference in all persons. I like our individual uniquenesses. Frank is flat out unique. One off. Don't nobody else look like Frank, act like Frank, hoop like Frank, bounce like Frank, shoot like Frank, or rebound from the mother#%$&@! point like Frank. Frank is one off. He is the original in oil that other prints will be made from. But at the same time Frank is restoring cool to the diminutive, as happens every so often. Cousy did. Nate Archibald did. Calvin Murphy did. Mugsy Bogues did. Isaiah Thomas did. Rajon Rondo do. Nash did. Basketball is the democratic game. It favors the tall, but it has room for the small. There are so many things that need doing on a court and so many ways to do them, the diminutive can be as effective as the long, if it can find its way to doing it. AND FRANK FOUND MORE WAYS TO DOIT DIMINUITIVELY AT A HIGH LEVEL ON A COURT THAN ANY ONE IN A LOOOOOOOONG TIME!
But I know you quants want your numbers.
47 percent from Trey on 174 3ptas. It's not unprecedented, but its largely unfathomable to mortals and flat beyond hope to 98% of D1 basketball players.
And remember: Frank was NOT KU's designated trifectate. Svi actually had 2 more 3ptas and Devonte had 74 MORE 3ptas!!! And Svi and De shot respectably near the magic .400. But Frank shredded cord at .470, while running the team and being cute and diminutive!!! Svi and De were the volume guns. Frank was the match piece Self pulled out again and again, when the game was on the line. He had a career long ball season.
Most humans would think 47% on 174 attempts was a season's worth of accomplishment.
But not Frank.
Frank also shot 79% of 278 FTAs. Perspective? OAD Josh Jackson had the next most FTAs at 173. It was an insane number of free throws! KU should name one of the charity stripes on Naismith Court the Frank Mason Memorial Free Throw Line!
Frank made treys and FTs were practically a full offense for some lesser programs.
Let's see...what else?
After Doke went out, Frank was the third leading rebounder on the team...from the point!!!!!!! I have gone off many times stacking superlatives about his rebounding. He is the greatest rebounding college point guard I have seen in 55 years of college basketball I can remember. Pound for pound he is exceeded only by Bill Bridges and Wilt Chamberlain at KU and they could not dribble drive and shoot the Trey as he did. Hell, Wilt and Bill would have loved Frank!!!!
And he protected.
And he guarded.
And he helped.
And he never backed down.
And he achieved the longest stays in the Psi zone of any KU player I can recall.
And he had the memorable photo of him standing up to that big lug in the tourney.
Question answered!
Rock Chalk, Frank Mason!
