IS GETTING ITS DRAFT BOARD READY
It only has been 4 years, 4 productive years.
On Drexel's all-time list, Mason is second in steals (197) and third in assists (426). He has 995 career points.
With a 12.0 points-per-game average this season, the 6-foot senior is runner-up to Frank Elegar (14.4) in scoring for Drexel.
Mason has been Drexel's starting point guard since his freshman season when he was chosen the Colonial Athletic Association's defensive player of the year. He's a three-time all-CAA defensive team selection. This season, he is a candidate for first-team all-CAA honors.
"He's the perfect point guard," Pecora said. "He runs the ship. He knows their personnel so well. He rarely gives the ball to anyone at a spot on the floor where they can't make a play.
"He's not only a great distributor of the basketball, he's [also] a timely scorer. He's as good an on-the-ball defender as there is in the CAA. He's able to put pressure on the opposing teams' point guards without getting beat off the dribble."
As Drexel coach Bruiser Flint tried to mold Mason into an outstanding collegiate point guard, they had their differences.
"We've gone at each other from time to time," Flint said. "[But] he's the second best point guard in the history of the school. He's the only real point guard I've ever had.
"Bash has worked on his shooting. When you're a veteran, you know what's a good shot and what's a bad one. Plus, he gets to the basket."
(Michael Anderson is Drexel's No. 1 point guard: From 1984 to '88, he scored a school-record 2,208 points while collecting 724 assists and 341 steals).
Mason says adjusting to Drexel basketball wasn't as easy as it might have appeared.
"It started out as a struggle, making the transition to college," Mason said earlier this week. "But now I have a pretty good hold on things. I feel pretty good [about his accomplishments], but the main thing is to make the NCAA Tournament."
As all talented point guards do, Mason wants the ball at crucial times in games.
"I love having the ball in my hands in pressure situations," he said.
Mason grew up in Jersey City and attended St. Benedict's Prep in Newark. Asked if he liked living at St. Benedict's, Mason replied, "No, but it helped prepare me for college. There's a lot of structure: We had study time, dinner time, lights out."
To get significant minutes for Flint, players must commit to defensive excellence. Mason first learned about defense at the Boys and Girls Club in Jersey City.
"We had a coach there who [stressed] defense," Mason said. "If you couldn't play defense, you couldn't play on his team."
Mason can play, at both ends of the court.
Drexel (15-4, 7-2) hosts CAA leader Virginia Commonwealth (17-3, 9-0) tomorrow at noon at the Daskalakis Athletic Center (TV: CN8). Drexel has won three in a row and 13 of its last 15 games.
Under first-year coach Anthony Grant, a former assistant with national champion Florida, VCU applies fullcourt pressure. How Bashir Mason and the Dragons respond will be a key to the game's outcome.
VCU extended its road winning streak over two seasons to nine by beating George Mason, 75-62, on Wednesday night. The Rams made 12 of 20 three-pointers. *
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