Recruiting Report: Mason Shifflett (2019)
2019 Wesley Christian SG Mason Shifflett had a busy offseason that saw him transfer from Bullitt Central to Taylor County and ultimately to Wesley Christian. The move to Taylor County was as a result of his dad getting a new…
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Continue Reading2019 Wesley Christian SG Mason Shifflett had a busy offseason that saw him transfer from Bullitt Central to Taylor County and ultimately to Wesley Christian. The move to Taylor County was as a result of his dad getting a new job, and he was to be coached by one of the state’s best Richard Gatewood as well. However, the move to Wesley Christian was a result of timing and a little bit of concerns about the KHSAA declaring him eligible, as they seem to be very wishy washy on when someone is and isn’t ruled eligible after a transfer.
Wesley Christian is a non-KHSAA school located in Allen, KY in Floyd County. They have become home to some very talented players and with the hiring of Coach Dave Meddings they should be one of the rising programs to watch in the state even though they aren’t part of the KHSAA. Meddings formerly coached at both Huntington Prep and Union College, so his experience should be invaluable to the program. What this means for Mason, who had one of the better freshmen seasons of any player in the state last season, 8.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while shooting ~40% from three, is he will have to fight harder and improve his game quickly to make an impact as a sophomore.
Mason knows it’s not going to be easy this season and playing time won’t be guaranteed like it was at Bullitt Central. He’s prepared to outwork everybody to get his shot though and lists his work ethic as his biggest strength. “My mindset going into my sophomore year is to take it one day at a time. I have improved a lot over the past year and I want to keep that momentum going. I would like to continue to get better every day and I want to be the best player and teammate that I can be.”
Mason is an outstanding perimeter shooter, as he showed during his freshman season at Bullitt Central, and he has ideal size at 6’4-1/2”. However, he’s not the most athletic kid and not the quickest. But he has been striving to improve in both of those areas working with a trainer, using a vertimax, jump rope, and more to get where he needs to be. In our eyes he has the chance to be one of the premier players in Kentucky’s 2019 class due to his size, shooting ability and work ethic.
College wise he is seeing interest from quite a few schools at varying levels. Cincinnati, Florida Gulf Coast, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Radford, Cal Poly, Marshall, Queens, Pfieffer, Montclair State, Earlham and Lyons College are some of the schools that have shown interest. He has visited Murray State and took a recent trip to Cincinnati as well. Interest should really pick up if he can play well at Wesley Christian as a sophomore.
Mason has a couple team goals for his sophomore season though and that’s what he’s focusing on, along with getting better, going forward. He wants his team to win the NACA Division I Championship and wants to compete at Dick’s Nationals as well. Mason is very excited to be at Wesley Christian and thinks it’ll be the place he can develop into the player he wants to be. “I think the opportunity to play at Wesley is one I couldn’t pass up. To experience and learn the culture of my teammates, play basketball at a highest level and receive a Christian education is really an opportunity I’m thankful for.