Wichita — Frank Mason III turned the clock back to 2017.
The former national player of the year at Kansas donned the crimson and blue once again, seven years after the conclusion of his collegiate career, and boosted the Mass Street team of KU alumni to an 81-68 victory over Ram Up in the first round of The Basketball Tournament at Charles Koch Arena.
Mason’s leadership at point guard helped give the Mass Street motley crew — featuring KU players from a variety of eras, and some who never played for the Jayhawks at all — a sense of cohesion, as well as a bit of offensive ingenuity they had lacked in Wednesday’s pre-tournament scrimmage at Johnson County Community College. He finished with a team-high 20 points and game-high four assists.
Mason kept it simple in a video posted on TBT’s social media postgame: “Guys competed, we played together, we had fun, and on to the next one.”
“I appreciate Frank for coming,” said forward Dedric Lawson, who added 14 points and nine rebounds. “Frank made it way easier. Overseas I haven’t played with a guard like that in probably three, four years, a guard that (can) come in, control the game, give me shots when I need it and he just take over when he need it. So I appreciate Frank.”
Billy Preston was deadly on midrange jump shots and backed up Mason and Lawson with 18 points of his own, plus eight rebounds.
“He was one of the major reasons why we won the game tonight,” Mason said in the video. “Hopefully he can keep that going the next game.”
Added Mass Street coach Sherron Collins: “This is his type of game. We just wanted to let him go in spurts, and let him create and do what he wanted to do.”
Ram Up, a Colorado State alumni team, which trailed by 24 in the fourth quarter, went on a spirited run and got as close as eight points down in the Elam Ending before Lawson won the game with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws.
“It was really Sherron,” Lawson said. “He called a timeout for me to change my shoes. I didn’t even think to put on the shoes. But shoutout to coach … I guess it gave me a little more boost to go and get the game over with.”
Ram Up was led by Joe Palmer and Joel Scott, both members of last season’s CSU team, who scored 20 and 19, respectively. Scott was 7-for-12 on free throws.
Preston scored the first Mass Street bucket on a turnaround jumper, putting his name in the TBT record books after he never played an official game at KU. But Kevin Young was an early standout for the KU alumni, as he grabbed a couple early rebounds, leapt up for a big block at the rim on TK Edogi and scored the layup that gave Mass Street its first lead at 7-5.
Mass Street extended its margin as the first quarter drew on, with Mason finding Lawson with a behind-the-back pass in transition, setting up a layup. Then Mason drove to the hoop and scored on a taller defender and Sam Cunliffe lobbed in a shot from close range. Ram Up did not score for the final five minutes and 28 seconds of the period, falling behind 19-9.
The CSU alumni switched to a zone defense and also broke their scoring drought on a corner 3 by Palmer early in the second quarter that kicked off a bit of a hot streak. Still, Mass Street stemmed the tide thanks to a pair of 3s by Lagerald Vick, his first two buckets of the night.
The KU alumni led by as many as 16 more than halfway through the second quarter, but a spell of foul trouble and general sloppiness, including allowing Patrick Cartier to put back his own free throw, resulted in an 8-0 run for Ram Up. Mass Street led just 39-31 at the break after a last-second 3-point attempt by Mason from between two defenders barely rattled out.
One reason for the comeback was rebounding; the CSU alumni had wrangled 10 offensive boards by the break, allowing them to keep it close even as they shot sub-30% in the first half. Lawson suggested that would be a point of emphasis for Mass Street heading into the second round.
Preston scored the first two baskets of the second half and three of the first four. By the time five minutes had elapsed in the third quarter he was up to a game-high 16 points and had drawn a key third foul on Ram Up’s Scott.
Thanks in large part to Mason, who slipped through the whole Ram Up defense for a layup at the end of the third quarter and gestured to the crowd in celebration, Mass Street stretched its lead to 20 by the start of the fourth.
“I think just played together, and we let Frank be Frank and let Dedric be Dedric, and playing to their strengths, and that’s just putting them in space,” Collins said. “And Dedric, I call him a unicorn because he can do it all, so we just want to put them in space and let them be the matchup problem that they are.”
The KU alumni did not score for two and a half minutes ahead of the Elam Ending but still entered it leading 73-55 with a target score of 81, although it began inauspiciously with an immediate turnover and went from bad to worse as Mass Street was called for a barrage of fouls.
“When we’re not scoring, we can’t let the other team score,” Collins said, “and that was just the attitude of just keep guarding, keep guarding, shots will fall, we’ll get what we need but we got to keep guarding. And we gave up some at the end, a little too many, but we’re OK.”
Mass Street ended up getting its eight points via a spinning layup by Preston, a free throw by Mason, and then a 3-pointer and two free throws by Lawson.
Mass Street will continue its efforts in Wichita on Monday at 6 p.m. when it faces No. 3 seed Florida TNT, which defeated LA Cheaters 81-61 shortly before Mass Street’s game on Saturday night
Mass Street team members, from left, Frank Mason, Billy Preston and Lagerald Vick talk during a game against Ram Up in Wichita on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Mass Street’s Lagerald Vick shoots from the corner against Ram Up on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Wichita.
Mass Street’s Frank Mason dribbles the ball during the game against Ram Up in Wichita on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Mass Street’s Billy Preston takes the ball across halfcourt during the game against Ram Up in Wichita on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Mass Street’s Billy Preston tries to squeeze between two Ram Up defenders during the game in Wichita on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Mass Street’s Kevin Young brings the ball up the court during the game against Ram Up on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Wichita.
The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament