Big 12 Basketball: Ranking of top 20 overall players since 2000
By Andrew Tineo
6. Frank Mason III – G Kansas (2013-2017)
Career Stats (4 seasons): 13 PPG, 4 APG, 42% 3P
What seemed like eight years, was the Frank Mason era at Kansas, and was there ever a lot of wins, during his tenure there. As a Freshman, Mason was the backup Point Guard and was surrounded by other more talented players on a 25-10 team.
That team was headlined by freshman sensations Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Wayne Seldon, and sophomore Perry Ellis. With Embiid and Wiggins being one and done players, Mason got a lot more shine as a sophomore and averaged 12.6 PPG, to go along with almost four rebounds.
Even with the high expectations of that team, they were unable to get past #7 Wichita State in the Third Round.
Where Mason would do his biggest damage was his senior season, where he exploded to the tune of almost 21 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Mason was also among the best 3-point shooters in the entire country as well. His 47% three-point shooting truly put him in a class of his own, in terms of elite shooting.
After leading Kansas to the Elite 8, where they would fall to Oregon, Mason got every accolade under the sun. He would go onto win Big 12 Player of the Year Consensus First Team All-American, AP Player of the Year, Naismith Award, Bob Cousy Award, and Wooden Award.
With those kinds of accolades, there’s quite the debate that Mason could be higher on this list. However, the downfall of Frank Mason and his potential future career doesn’t rely on his performance. Mason was never able to get Kansas to a Final Four, even with the most talented of teams. Mason wasn’t also extremely appealing to a lot of franchises looking to build around him.
Being in college for four years and standing at 5’11 watched him fall to the 34th pick in the NBA Draft. The Sacramento Kings would select him. Regardless of his NBA career, Frank Mason was the talk of College Basketball during his senior season, and everyone playing Kansas had to be ready, or else Mason would drop 30 points and Kansas would win.