'Belief and confidence': Bashir Mason ready to take over as Saint Peter's basketball coach

JERSEY CITY – Bashir Mason returned to the streets he honed his game on growing up Wednesday when he was introduced as the Saint Peter's head coach during a ceremony at Run Baby Run Arena.

And while it's a dream come true, the native son takes over a team that Shaheen Holloway, recently named the head coach at Seton Hall, just guided on an historic run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

It's a daunting task, but Mason points to his experiences a decade ago when he took over for Dan Hurley, son of New Jersey coaching legend Bob Hurley, at Wagner.

“Before Danny (Hurley) left for Rhode Island we went 25-6,” Mason said. ”So I had to replace the Hurley last name and the team that won the most games in school history. And my first year we went 19-12, but I spent a lot of nights in a dark room thinking I wasn’t good enough or living up to the standard or expectation. Ten years later I have a lot of belief and confidence in who I am as a coach, and I am going to work hard so that this program continues to move forward.”

Wagner was a perennial contender in the Northeast Conference with Mason at the helm. But adding to what might be the toughest challenge in college basketball right now, given the events of the past month, is the fact that many of the key players from that March Madness run have entered the NCAA transfer portal.

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Guard Doug Edert, the Bergen Catholic product, has already transferred to Bryant, and five other key players, including guards Daryl Banks III and Matt Lee, and forwards Hassan and Fousseyni Drame, and Clarence Rupert, are all currently in the transfer portal.

Mason had his first meeting with his new players on Tuesday.

“He reached out to try and get familiar with us and just introduce himself,” said Banks, who attended the press conference along with a host of Saint Peter’s players. “I actually knew him from before. He recruited me out of high school (Patrick School) so I’m already kind of familiar with him.

“I’m listening to all my options now. I’m really just being open minded to everything.”

Mason understands that, with over 1,300 players currently in the transfer portal, it's an issue every program has to deal with. And he did not rule out some of his former Wagner players joining him at Saint Peter’s.

“The transfer portal has been a big deal for the last couple of years. It’s always adapt or die,” he said. “We can’t complain about how many guys go into the portal and look to transfer. You’ve always have to have irons in the fire. I think we have done a good job in recruiting to Wagenr. I think, I hope a lot of those guys would like to join me here, depending on how the roster shakes out.”

Mason’s resume is solid and his ties to the Garden State are impressive.

He played at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark for Dan Hurley, currently the head coach at Connecticut. And after scoring 1,126 points at Drexel, Mason eventually reunited with Hurley as an assistant coach at Wagner in 2010, becoming the head coach in 2012.

Over the next decade, Mason had an overall record of 165-130 at Wagner, including a 111-67 record in NEC play, going 21-6 overall last season. He led the Seahawks to three NEC regular-season titles, and three second-place finishes.

It was a conversation Mason had with Hurley Sunday morning that finalized his decision to make the move.

“He said, 'it’s a great decision, it’s a great move. Go do it, you’ll be great there,' ” Mason said. “And from that conversation with a guy who I consider to be my mentor in the business, it just felt even better for me.”

While Mason understand how great this opportunity is, it was not an easy decision to leave Wagner.

“I feel like I grew up there. That place took me in, I developed into who I am as a coach today,” he said. “A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into Wagner and building up that program.

“But this opportunity here was difficult to turn down. It had nothing to do with the runt they made to the Elite 8. This was about a new challenge. The bar has been set really high and I’m excited about pushing the program further.”

As for what his new players and fans can expect from the Peacocks on his watch, Mason indicated it might not look that different from their style under Holloway.

“I think it is very similar in terms of our defensive intensity and our grit and picking up man-to-man full court and winning games with our defensive rebounding,” he said. “I would say in the last three or four years I have transitioned into playing a little faster than these guys have played the last couple of years, so we will try to incorporate that without changing too much of who these guys are at their core.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Saint Peter's basketball: Bashir Mason introduced as head coach