SE's Mason doing it all in record-breaking season

ATTICA — Seneca East athletic director and assistant boys basketball coach Doug Mason said it best about his son Isaac after the Tigers won their first tournament game in 10 years Tuesday: "It shows in this world that if you work hard at something, good things are going to happen."It's not about just the scoring. It's not all about the rebounds, the assists, the steals, the free throws made and his percentage. It all speaks to Isaac Mason's motor and the type of basketball player he is. Because of all of his natural abilities and his endless hours in the gym, Mason is having one of — if not the — best seasons in Seneca East history. That might also include the Northern 10 Athletic Conference as well. To understand who Mason is as a player, the motor is at the forefront."I've always been a high-motor person. I've always watched good girls players at our school always play hard like Jessica Bowerman, and it just makes it easier," Isaac said. "You might score four or six points off offensive rebounds, and it's just natural playing the game. Feeling the movement of the game, passing the ball ... just makes things easier."First-year coach Anthony Langhurst said he knew right away how good Mason was, but his motor and relentlessness on the floor separates him from others."He's facing the other team's best and second best defender all game and you just see the kid, he's just beat because the beating that he takes, but it's just his motor that he has," he said. "That's what it takes. You hear it from the opposing coaches, 'Man, he is an S.O.B. to try to scout for and to prep for. The kids that guard him also know they are in for a long night just because of his motor and how hard he plays. It's been a joy. "He's just a basketball player. His motor goes and some guys just have a knack for the basketball. The good ones always find a way to be around the basketball and he definitely has that in spades, no doubt about it."Now for some numbers:Mason, who averaged 15.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game last season, is now averaging 28 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 4.8 assists and has a .807 free throw percentage. He's top three in the N10 in all of those categories. He leads in points, rebounds and steals."It's not just a scoring thing, he does so many things well," Doug Mason said. "I don't think he does one thing great, but he does a lot of things well. You look at assists, steals, rebounds ... he's a stat-stuffer, he has a knack. He just loves the game."Isaac added: "For me, I've been trying to do what's best for the team. That means passing it, sometimes it's scoring a lot of points, but it's just whatever is best for the team."We'll get to the points momentarily, but to average a double-double including 10.5 rebounds a game as Mason is listed at 6-foot-2, is astonishing. How does he do it?"I think I'm just a great natural rebounder, with instincts of where's the ball going," Isaac said. "When you know that, you're a step ahead of everyone else and then I can jump pretty well and then my length is decent enough I can grab a lot of rebounds."OK, now to the points. Mason is averaging nearly 10 more points per game than the N10's second leading scorer — Mohawk's A.J. Hess at 18.5 ppg. Tuesday, he passed Seneca East's all-time leading single-season scorer David Jones (643 points set in 1990). Mason now has 645 points with at least one game left today against Western Reserve. He also passed former Wynford Royal Josh Crall for most points in N10 history in a single season. He has recorded double-doubles in 13 of 23 games this season. "Last year was a little different where he played a different role with a bunch of seniors. This year he's had to take the team on his shoulders and lead the team," Doug Mason said. "To have that ability, besides a few games, he's made us very competitive. It helps the other guys and makes the game simpler for him. That's what good basketball players do. "LeBron James was that way. For the people around him, the game is easier because all the attention he draws. Isaac is unselfish ... his assists are right up there in the league. I think some people might think he takes a lot of shots, but he's put the time in to take a lot of shots. It's been fun as a parent and as a coach. I'm just really happy for him, because it's amazing if you could see the hours he's put in the gym."Isaac added: "I just work hard. I've put in a lot of time over the years in the gym and it's finally paid off with the confidence. I feel like confidence is a big part of this sport being able to shoot the ball from the outside, and being able to score inside it's a tough combo."Mason started off the season with a flurry, dropping 30-point games like it was nothing. He then stepped that up with a single-game school record 43 points against Danbury. Not good enough? Alright, how about 46 points against Buckeye Central? Or better yet, how about 47 points against North Baltimore?It all culminated in a late-season game at Old Fort where he eclipsed the 1,000-point mark as a junior. "This summer Isaac said he's going to score 1,000 (career points) this year," Doug Mason said. "I asked him what he has to average to get that? He said about 26 points per game. As a coach, I'm thinking last year he averaged 15, so I think he's going to take more shots this year with a different team, so I thought he might get to 21. "When he came out of the gate scoring in the low- to mid-30s consistently and added those big games, I was like, 'Wow'. It's been tough the last three or so weeks because his body is tired because everyone is doing every trick of the trade to try to stop him. So to do that under that type of duress to keep (his average) up by 30, I didn't think he'd hold onto that, but he's pretty close to that. It's impressive. He's not the biggest kid or the fastest, but he'll out-think you and he's very cerebral about the game."The last, and maybe most impressive, stat Mason's produced this season is how many free throws he's made. Currently, he sits 12th in OHSAA history for most made free throws in one season with 220. That is one behind Ohio great and Upper Sandusky legend Jon Diebler. He's just three away from cracking the top 10 all-time.He is 220-271 at the charity stripe this year. In the N10, he's taken 172 more free throws than Colonel Crawford's Carter Valentine in second place. He's also made 146 more free throws than Valentine. Mason's percentage is 81% for the season. After listing all of the impressive stats for Mason this season, to him, none of it matters unless he's playing the game the right way and helping his team have success.And having his dad on the sideline with him is awfully special too."It's been great and he's been a great mentor for me," Isaac said of his dad. "He's showed me all the stuff (I needed to know) and he always took me up to the gym when I was younger. He still allows me to go up there a lot, it's a big credit to him. He helps me and helps me strive to be better every single day."