When he went down for the third time last season with a sprained left ankle, Anthony Mason Jr. of St. John’s did have that one moment when he asked, “Why me? Why now?”
By last night, before Mason was named to the Division I All-Met First team by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, despite missing eight games because of the injury, he was thinking ahead to next season.
“It’s the biggest year of my life for me and my team,” he said. “My dream is to play in the NBA and I want to have a big year. And I don’t want to leave with St. John’s still in the slumps. This is nothing little for me.”
Mason is still recovering from ankle surgery, but he expects to be 100 percent when the Red Storm head to Cancun this summer for four exhibition games.
If the 6-foot-7, 209-pound senior improves on his 14 points, 4.4 rebounds per game, St. John’s will have a chance to get to postseason play for the first time since 2003.
Joining Mason Jr. on the first team were Seton Hall’s Brian Laing of The Bronx, Hofstra’s Antoine Agudio, Fordham’s Bryant Johnson of Queens, Columbia’s John Baumann and Rider’s Jason Thompson, who was voted the 75th Haggerty Award winner.
Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins of Springfield Gardens was voted as the metropolitan area’s rookie of the year and Rider’s Tommy Dempsey received coach of the year.
St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said Mason Jr. definitely has the potential to play in the NBA. When he can return to the court, Roberts said they will work with Mason on moving without the ball, coming off screens, and being ready to shoot as soon as he gets the ball.
“He can be a Rip Hamilton-type player,” said Roberts. “The tough thing for Anthony is that since he’s been at St. John’s he hasn’t been able to practice in the spring because he was rehabbing injuries. That’s why his summer is going to be very important for him.”