GoMocs.com concludes its weekly look into the Chattanooga Mocs basketball newcomers this week with sophomore forward Z. Mason. Z. comes to Chattanooga from a rather unusual route...Ole Miss football.
Z.'s first name is Zaccheus, but a man his size can go by whatever name he chooses. He brings a much-needed physical presence to the Mocs frontline.
"Z. is a man," said head coach John Shulman. "He's got a great base at 6-5, 6-6 and around 260 lbs. And it's all muscle.
"I'm really excited with what he brings athletically as well as physically to the post," Shulman continued. "He is a skilled post who can score it inside and beyond the three. He was always a basketball player playing football, not the other way around."
Mason was a highly-recruited basketball player in the summer and fall of 2008. His height limited him to mid-major status, but everyone was after the man in the middle. More than 30 Division I scholarship offers came his way including from the Chattanooga Mocs.
"We wanted Z. desperately out of high school," Shulman added. "He had a great summer and had everything we wanted at the time with Nicchaeus Doaks and Khalil Hartwell graduating. But something got in the way."
That something was the gridiron. While Mason was a polished product on the hardcourt, he was a burgeoning prospect on the football field.
His senior season at tight end, Z. caught 35 passes for 464 yards and seven scores, while also rushing for 489 yards and 10 touchdowns. That production earned him high praise as the No. 2 tight end in the nation by ESPN and No. 91 overall player.
While his heart was with basketball, his head was focused on the future. The bright lights of the SEC took over as Mason chose Ole Miss over Tennessee to continue his football journey leaving the court for the final time in 2009.
"It had to be a hard decision for him," Shulman noted. "You could tell his love for the game of basketball in the way he played. But what are you going to do.
"He gave football two years and decided to come back to basketball," said the eighth-year head coach. "We are ecstatic to have him in Chattanooga. Better late than never when talking about someone of Z.'s caliber."
There is no questioning his court credentials. He was one of the top players in the state at Christ Presbyterian Academy for former Vandy star Drew Maddux. Mason was a three-time All-Region and All-District performer at CPA earning District MVP honors as a senior averaging 24 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.8 blocks per contest.
He was a 2008 Tennessee Class AA Mr. Basketball finalist leading the Lions to the TSSAA State Tournament. Mason was one of the top high school athletes in the state during the century's first decade.
Shulman has a common theme when talking about this five-member class heading into 2011-12.
"While I am very excited about what each incoming player brings to the court, I have a greater sense of pride in who they are instead of what they are," Shulman stated. "I fully expect each of these young men to have an impact on the floor for this program, but I am prouder of the impact each can have as a person...as a student-athlete.
"They are great kids," Shulman concluded. "You do this long enough and you learn a very real lesson and that's character counts. This is a group who will represent Chattanooga with great pride on and off the court."
GoMocs.con Exclusive Look at Chattanooga Basketball's Newcomers
July 25 - Brown's Ceiling Is Sky High
August 1 - Bryant Evokes Memories of Mocs Most Prolific Rebounder
August 8 - Stokes Strong On and Off the Court
August 22 - White Continues Family Tradition on the Court
August 29 - Mason Provides Physical Presence to Mocs
