Recruiting Report: Mason Madsen (2020)
Rochester Mayo guard Mason Madsen is one of the best shooters in the state of Minnesota and a likely 2,000 plus point scorer in high school. We caught up with Mason this weekend for an update on his basketball life. …
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Continue ReadingRochester Mayo guard Mason Madsen is one of the best shooters in the state of Minnesota and a likely 2,000 plus point scorer in high school. We caught up with Mason this weekend for an update on his basketball life.
Mason’s father Luke Madsen took the head coaching job at Mayo two summers ago moving the family from a small school in Wisconsin to Big Nine country in southern Minnesota. The change has been welcomed by Mason.
“I feel like the change coming from a smaller school to a bigger school has been good,” Madsen explained. “We were at a school with a population of 400 students about, and in Wisconsin they do divisions so we were in Division 3 which is about right in the middle.
“Obviously playing at Mayo we are a Class AAAA big school. So the competition, it took a little bit of getting used to but obviously we were accustomed to it playing in AAU. The access to competition in Minnesota has made us grow as players and the trainers that we work with in Rochester really helps. Gabe (Madsen) and I work with David Norris who runs the Lace Up program, he has been really good for us.”
Mason has spent a good part of his life with his father Luke Madsen not just observing but often coaching his many moves on the court. Luke has been on the sideline to see Mason score 1,499 career points and that number should reach 2,000 at some point next February. Having his father as coach has been special for Mason.
“I get asked about having my father as coach a lot,” Mason explained. “I feel it’s tough for him to find a balance between being a dad, and being a coach. So I have to remember that for him as he is always going to get the backlash of people thinking he is being too hard on us or too easy on us, but I feel like I have become the player I am today because I have been around him so much. Been around the game so much. Even when I wasn’t playing when I was younger I was always in the gym, so I feel like that has helped. It’s tough love right? He can get mad but I know he wants the best for me. I love playing for him.”
Rochester Mayo went 15-12 last season with a 14-8 mark in the Big Nine. On February 8th the Spartans were 13-5 and things seemed great. However, a Saturday loss to Rochester JM at the start of a 7 games in 14 days stretch led to a late season struggle.
“I feel like the past two years we have kind of underachieved maybe,” Gabe stated. “This past year we struggled. The weather was crazy, obviously. And with that there were a lot of cancelations. So there was a point in the season where we had a Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday and at that point we were 13-3 in the conference with Austin at home. We lost that game and then it just snowballed from there as we lost four straight games.
“That was frustrating but we have also played a lot of younger guys so we have a lot of guys coming back. We started one senior (Calvin Dixon, the third leading scorer) that played significant minutes but then we also started two sophomores and had another come off the bench.”
That sophomore group of Andre Crockett Jr, Michael Sharp, and Mohamed Hammadelniel – all 7-8 point per game guys as guards – they all return with the Gabe and Mason. That type of talent and experience returning will put Mayo in the Big Nine race along with likely favorites Mankato East and Austin.
Madsen averaged 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game this year making 100 threes and shooting 89 percent at the foul line.
Mason MadsenMason competes with a talented Wisconsin Playground Warriors team that is a strong 8-4 in UAA play leading to a national ranking in 17u before they dropped they dropped three of four games two weekends back. This past weekend PGC went 4-1 at the Battle at the Lakes which included a nice quarterfinal win over the top Iowa Barnstormers team. Once again the experience of playing with the Warriors has been valuable.
“I feel like we had been playing really well,” Mason explained about his UAA team. “Last weekend we went to New Jersey and went 1-3 which makes us 8-4 on the season (in the UAA league). Coming into the year we probably expected to be right about there. Last year we got bounced from The Finals and didn’t make it so we are looking forward to clinching our spot for July. It’s been good as we’ve been playing with the same guys for a couple years now.”
Mason is scoring 12 points a game in UAA play with three boards and three assists on average. Mason is shooting 48.5 percent from the floor overall and 44.2 percent from the arc against strong competition.
Obviously recruiting looks have come the way of Mason based on his career to date. UWGB, Northern Iowa, Bradley, William & Mary, and Toledo have all extended scholarship opportunity thus far.
“We are just taking recruiting day by day and we are just going to play it out,” Mason said. “We have worked hard up to this point so we fill like we owe it to ourselves to see what else is out there.
“Obviously I’m appreciative of all the schools that have recruited me, and Gabe is the same. Obviously we don’t have the same offers so we are going to have to maneuver through that but it’s a good problem to have when you have different schools that want you.”
And who are those schools making the calls?
“There are some new schools getting involved but consistently it’s Northern Iowa and Toledo who are texting. And today we just got offered by William & Mary earlier today. But we have taken official visits to both Northern Iowa and Toledo, and we like both. We saw UNI back in the fall and then saw Toledo.”
Will Mason and Gabe play together in college? That’s something they still have to figure out, but they are tough duo to deal with.
“It’s just that connection we have. I think our ability to both pass and shoot makes each other lethal. Having that other threat and having another dude on the court that can do the same stuff as you has been a tough match-up problems for other teams.”