Mason Gibson, business management junior, had the highest points per game for the Mustangs in the 2023-2024 basketball season, the second season Gibson has played for the Mustangs.
Playing basketball was not always Gibson’s first choice. Originally he wanted to play football.
“Actually, I wanted to be a football player. You know, everyone wants to be a football player, and then you know getting hit a couple of times, I was like, ‘let me switch my sport up,’ so I started playing basketball. I fell in love with it right away and just stuck with it, ” Gibson said.
Gibson’s basketball career started at a young age and has continued into his adult life.
“I wanna say maybe third or fourth grade. I have played ever since,” Gibson said.
While in high school, Gibson played for his school. He attended Allen High School where he was a three-year letter winner. In his freshman year that he decided to put in the work to play at the next level.
“When I was a freshman I was on JV. The high school that I am from, Allen, that’s not really heard of. So everybody does the freshman team, and I was like, ‘Okay maybe I am good enough to play at the next level. So let me keep working my butt off, so I can show everyone I can do it,” Gibson said.
Gibson committed to Oakland University, but after serving his redshirt year, he quickly realized that Oakland was not where he belonged.
“Coming out of high school, I was committed to Oakland University, a division one in Michigan, and I just feel like the culture over there, I don’t really know, I didn’t really mess with it. The coaching staff wasn’t great,” Gibson said.
After that year at Oakland, Gibson entered the transfer portal. MSU happened to be his first visit after entering the portal.
“When I entered the portal and came on a visit here, it was actually my first visit out of the portal, and I fell in love with the campus, and the facilities, and the coaching staff. They just treated me like a basketball player and a kid, so I loved it, fell in love with it, and was like this is the place for me,” Gibson said.
After graduating, Gibson plans to continue his basketball career.
“I do want to play overseas. I want to look at my opportunities after my senior year, and see if I can play overseas,” Gibson said.
In the case that Gibson is not able to play overseas and continue his basketball career, he does have a back up plan in place.
“I want to do something in the business route. I wanted to do sports management, but unfortunately MSU doesn’t have it, so I had to take a different route. But at the end of that I want to be like an agent for a professional, or like manage a professional team, so that is the route I am going to take,” Gibson said.
Gibson’s high school coach is the coach that shaped him into the player that he is now. Gibson considers him to be his basketball dad. He is even the person to give Gibson the gummy sharks that are now part of his pregame ritual.
Gibson plays hard and continues to work hard to set an example for his younger brother. Gibson lives each day with this one bible verse in mind, Psalms 73:26.
“I have one tatted on me and it is, ‘Flesh and heart may fail but God is my strength and portion forever.’ So that is what I look at all the time because I have it tatted on me, and it is in my reminders on my phone, so it’s just like he’s putting me here so I might as well put in the work. I feel like it is my plan that he has for me,” Gibson said.
