Man of the hour: Senior guard Mason Mottashed reaches 1,000-point milestone for Union Mine
Mason Mottashed doesn’t just play the sport, he lives it. Basketball is his deal, his passion.
The Union Mine High School senior guard has a hoop at his family home in El Dorado County. He has hoisted shots at daybreak and dusk, in the searing heat, the wind and rain. Mottashed is at his best inside a gymnasium. He is known as a scorer, but he has a complete game, surrounded by teammates he calls his brothers. Mottashed can handle the ball, looks for the extra pass, and he hustles on defense, a bundle of energy and skill wound up in a 6-foot-1 frame.
Mottashed was the man of the hour on Tuesday night in Placerville, scoring his 1,000th career point for the Diamondbacks in a rivalry game against El Dorado with the aim to keep leading and scoring as the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs fast approach. He had 21 points in a 98-65 victory over the Cougars as the Diamondbacks (21-5, 7-1 Sierra Valley Conference) seized control of first place with two regular-season games remaining.
Some 30 minutes after the game, Mottashed was already planning to take more shots at home, to stay sharp.
“Mason is the definition of a die hard,” Union Mine coach Ryan Williams said. “People tend to overthink the theme of eating and sleeping something, but he literally eats, drinks and sleeps basketball. I’ve received cell pics from his dad of his son taking shots at 6:30 in the morning at home. Every practice, every game, every drill, he’s all in.”
Williams said Mottashed is “an incredibly smart” player who can feel the game. He doesn’t have to force things. He can get to the bucket on a quick burst down the lane, or hit 3-pointers, including the nine he made in the previous meeting with El Dorado. On Jan. 13, Mottashed went for a school-record 44 points to go with 11 rebounds and five assists in a 74-57 victory.
Mottashed is averaging 19.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists for a team expecting a championship run in Division IV. Union Mine students have followed the action, home and away. On Tuesday, a throng of them jammed into a section of bleachers at El Dorado and hung up a hand-painted sign that read “Snakepit” — the name of their rooting section for home games.
After Mottashed ended the third quarter with a 3-pointer and opened the fourth with another one, Union Mine students waved posters that showed Mottashed and “1,000 points,” marking his milestone. Afterward, in a jubilant dressing room, Union Mine coaches praised players for the effort, and then they all zeroed in on Mottashed. Teammates doused him with water and chased him out the side door.
“He’s worked so hard for this,” Union Mine senior guard Dylan Desa said. “He’s a great player, and he’s super humble.”
Mottashed credited his teammates and his coaches for the season that players and coaches expect to stretch well into March. A 3.5 student, Mottashed is pondering his college future, most likely at a smaller college. He isn’t stressing that right now, and he said he would play the sport until he grows old.
“As long as I’ve got a ball and a hoop, I’m good to go,” Mottashed said. “My older brother (Dillon) pretty much forced basketball on me when I was old enough to hold the ball, but I’m glad he did. I love it. It’s my getaway, my stress reliever. And it’s just fun.”
Williams played at Union Mine and played for famed area coach Terry Battenberg. He is in his seventh season as the Diamondbacks coach, so he’s been around long enough to recognize that a do-all player can always do a little bit more. Williams needed a leader after last spring’s graduation cleared out all the seniors and found one in his top talent.
“Mason’s not super vocal, but I told him he has to be a leader, and he’s done it,” Williams said. “Now he speaks to the guys before games, at the half. Complete player.”
Against El Dorado, Union Mine’s Kendrick Burks scored 16 points, Desa had eight, Nate Sweet 13, Jack Rosen 10 and Isaac Zmerzlikar eight. The team is deep, with Mottashed and Williams reporting that the backups push the starters regularly in practice.
Teammates and family and friends had Mottashed sign posters with his mug and milestone number. They insisted. He rolled with it.
“This is really cool,” said Union Mine guard Andrew Duran, a Bee football All-Metro linebacker, who is so cool himself that he wore sunglasses after the game. “Mason is our guy.”
Area coaches agree.
“Mason is a heck of a player and he steps up in the big games,” El Dorado coach Stewart Kussler. “Kudos to him. He’s having a great year.”