Micah Mason isn't one for the spotlight.
But it's hard to be obscure when you score 64 points in a game on 17-of-19 shooting including 7 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc. That effort during a 101-83 victory over Valley High on Jan. 14 was the second-highest scoring performance ever in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League and earned him a two-sentence blurb in Sports Illustrated's "Faces In The Crowd."
That's when obscurity officially went out the window.
That small paragraph piqued the interest of the coaches from Drake University in Des Moines. They promptly made some phone calls and flew 791 miles to Natrona Heights to see Mason, who just completed his junior season, and ultimately offer him a scholarship. Prior to Drake's interest, Mason had received almost no collegiate courtship despite averaging 34 points and nine assists per game.
"I guess someone nominated me for 'Faces in the Crowd' and I guess that's how coach Phelps from Drake heard about me," Mason told The Dagger. "After that, he called my coach and then he had an assistant come visit at practice right before our last playoff game. Ever since then, four other coaches [from Drake] came and saw me, so they showed a lot of interest."
After visiting the school two weekends ago -- the first time Mason had ever flown on an airplane -- he decided that Drake was the place for him.
"I went and hung out with the players and I never heard a swear word," Mason said. "You never hear that anymore. I just like being around people like me. I'm a pretty good kid and I like it. It's small up there and just a better fit for me. And an early opportunity to play definitely helps me."
Mason also received interest from Richmond and Butler coach Brad Stevens, who watched him work out last week. Mason said Stevens talked to him about coming to Butler, but said his playing time would be contingent on whether Shelvin Mack decided to stay in the draft after the May 8 withdrawal deadline. It was that caveat that made Mason sure that Drake was the place he wanted to be.
"I just want to go somewhere where they always wanted me," Mason said. "With Butler, it was like a thing with Shelvin Mack entering the draft and I had to wait until May 8 because if he didn't go then he'd be the guard this year. It was just a bunch of little things that I just loved Drake for. They just wanted me always."
Beyond getting a college scholarship, Mason also was invited to a camp in Florida this summer and to play with a team that will travel to China in August. He said he's surprised by the amount of fanfare he's received after a simple Sports Illustrated mention.
"It's pretty crazy because I never really expected this kind of publicity, it kind of just happened," Mason said. "I think there's a little more pressure now because it's almost like you can't make a mistake."
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