When Mekhi Mason became the first player to commit to Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies out of the transfer portal, he brought a strong scoring option to Montlake that could fit very nicely into the new head coach’s offensive game plan.
Now that the roster is complete, he could be Washington’s second option offensively, and a very strong one at that. With forward Great Osobor drawing plenty of attention from opposing defenses, Mason is going to have a lot of space to operate on the floor in a role he’s very familiar with.
Mason finished second with the Rice Owls last season in scoring, averaging 14 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the floor on 12.1 attempts per contest. He could end up seeing a slightly decreased workload since Osobor averaged 10.9 shots per game at Utah State as Sprinkle’s primary option in an offense that is based on efficient shot selection.
The Rice transfer excels at getting to the hoop and thrives in the midrange thanks to his long 6-foot-5 frame, and as he continues to improve at finishing in traffic around the rim, he could be an elite slashing threat in the Big Ten.
Mason is also a career 36.3 percent shooter from three and should be able to continue his success from long range, especially with some of the other talented marksmen on the roster who should allow them to space the floor effectively.
At the end of the season, Mason’s stat line could end up looking a lot like Utah State’s Ian Martinez last season. Sprinkle’s scheme helped him average 13.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and just shy of 1 block and 1 steal per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field.
If Mason, who may be able to score at an even higher clip, can post a similar stat line to Martinez in his first year with the Huskies, he should at the very least be in contention for an All-Big-Ten Honorable Mention by the end of the season.
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