April 16, 2014
Stuteville to Hornetville
A mason is generally defined as a craftsman of bricks or other hard and heavy objects. With usage of the word brick definitely not a basketball term of endearment, Casa Roble High's Mason Stuteville is a soft-landing constructor of a more-often-than-not-entering-the-basket jumper, thereby contradicting the definition of his forename.
And now the 6-foot-10, 225 pound Stuteville has made the call on his choice of college and it's Sacramento State. It will be a move of 20 or so miles southwest.
Why Coach Brian Katz and the Hornets?
“It is the best fit for me,” Stuteville answered. “The coaches and players are like family.”
Plus, Stuteville already has a relative on the Sacramento State campus in brother 6-foot-11, 240 pound Eric, who just finished his freshman season. Averaging 15 minutes in 30 games this season, the elder Stuteville contributed 5.7 points and 3.2 rebounds a contest while shooting 49% overall and 70% from the foul line, with his numbers elevating as the season progressed.
Mason was present during Eric's recruitment of a year ago so he already had familiarity with the Hornet coaching staff and hoops program. Plus, he got to know a number of the players this season when he would visit his brother on campus.
There will be a different deployment on the court though.
According to Mason, “I'll be playing at the three, four and five spots.”
That's to utilize his well-rounded repertoire of scoring, rebounding and passing skills. Give him space and he'll bury a faceup jumper from beyond the arc.
He noted starting out that “I played point guard when I was younger in the third through the sixth grades.”
Addressing his progress since his freshman season, Stuteville believes he has advanced all the parts of his game, including the mental side. “Now, I'm intense but calm.”
Stuteville is looking to major in kinesiology -- his mother is a physical therapist -- with the plan for becoming a sports trainer and also a coach down the line. “A bunch of us want to get together and coach a high school team.”
Citing his family as his major basketball influence, including his 6-foot-8 father who played at Langston University in Oklahoma and 6-foot-2 mother, who performed on the hardwood at California, “everybody in my family taught me things.”
He has already educated many that a mason, at least a certain one hailing from Orangevale, can possess soft hands and a silky touch.