Jordan Mason reflects on his past two years’ experience at JCCC. Photo By: Manahil Fatima

Jordan Mason sat at a table in the Billington Library on the JCCC campus. A summer tan clung to his skin, but it would soon give way to the grind of the college’s basketball season. He reflected on the past two years and the journey that had brought him here. A smirk crept across his face as he nodded in approval.  

“I think back to the last couple of years, and I’ve come a long way,” Mason said. “I have the guys on the team to thank for that.” 

Mason walked off the basketball court after his final high school game three years earlier, fully expecting his basketball career to be over. He battled adversity throughout his senior year, playing through a painful injury sustained the summer before in a pickup game.  

“I went to lay the ball up, and somebody took my legs out from underneath me,” Mason said. “I came down, landed right on my kneecap and broke it.”  

He took a month off to let his kneecap heal and felt it had healed enough to play. He started practicing. However, when the pain returned, he consulted a doctor, who told him the kneecap was still broken. He had to decide whether to play through it or undergo season-ending surgery. He chose to play.  

“Obviously, I just wanted to play,” Mason said. “The doctor told me I couldn’t damage it anymore, so I just kept playing.” 

After the season ended, with no prospects of playing at the next level, Mason decided it was time for surgery. His recovery from kneecap surgery was expected to take three to six months, longer and more difficult than he had expected.  

With that news, Mason knew there was a high probability he was done with organized basketball and that his playing career was over. The prospect of not playing again crushed him because he loved basketball. 

Mason shifted in his seat as he paused to think about that time in his life.  

“Basketball was my life growing up, and it was over,” Mason said. “That’s kind of when I started getting into a little bit of a dark place because I had so much free time on my hands, and I didn’t know what to do with it.” 

Mason was still trying to figure things out and decide what he wanted to do. He had always been active, but the surgery had limited his ability to stay active. He didn’t love school, but he knew he needed to do something, so he enrolled for his freshman year. 

“I was there trying to figure out what my purpose was,” Mason said. 

Mason leaned into his recovery and started working out. It was slow at first, but he regained his strength. With renewed energy and purpose, he began taking his conditioning to the next level. He began conditioning himself by returning to the game he loved, playing basketball again.  

The summer after his freshman year on campus, he began attending the open gyms run by the JCCC men’s basketball team. After playing, guarding, running, and showing what he could do on the court, the coaches took notice.  

Taylor Jones, assistant men’s basketball coach, recalled that Mason attended every one of them over the summer because it was important to him to be part of the team.  

“He showed up every day and competed,” Jones said.   

He played with confidence because he wanted a roster spot. 

“He’d come, and he’d defend hard, and he’d shoot it well, and eventually it was just like, man, this guy’s playing well,” Jones said. “I think he’d be a good addition to our team.” 

Mason received a scholarship to play for the basketball team. His drive and determination not only helped him make the team but also contributed to a 31-3 team that finished eighth nationally.  

His mental toughness allowed him to overcome the injury that had set him back for the past year, and it did not surprise his teammates. River Peters, a teammate and business student, said he wasn’t surprised by anything Mason did.  

“He’s just going to be successful at anything he sets his mind to,” Peters said. “He’s got the right idea about life.” 

Mason proved to be a great teammate on and off the court.  

“He’s consistent and shows up every day,” Peters said. “I feel he has the right mindset. Team-first guy, for sure.” 

Jones agreed and believed he had grown from his freshman season. Going into his sophomore season, he will be counted on to lead by example and to be a good teammate.  

“He’s a really good locker room guy because he is going to bring it every day,” Jones said. “But he is also going to welcome these new guys and get along and include them in activities off the court.” 

He is upbeat and always active, and these are among the qualities his coach listed that make him a great person.  

“He’s not a lazy human being,” Jones said. “He’s just an active human being, and I think that’s a really great trait to have as a person.” 

He knows there is more to life than basketball, and he has taken that into account as he moves forward in his journey. He wants to own a business and be an entrepreneur, and he also hopes to become a marine biologist and live on the coast. But he knows life is more than that.  

Mason rose from the table and paced as he reflected on his ultimate life goal and what the past three years had meant to him.   

“I just want to make a positive impact by loving people,” Mason said. “I’m trying to live by showing love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, self-control, faithfulness, and gentleness.” 

Mason believes that if he can tap into those qualities, everything else in his life will fall into place. 

“Whether I’m on the basketball court or whether I’m a business owner or whether I’m in Florida doing marine biology,” Mason said, “those qualities are things that really mean something to me now.”