June 4, 2008

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Marist head men's basketball coach Bashir Mason as an assistant coach on Wednesday. Mason becomes the third assistant coach to be hired by Martin, joining Tyrone Weeks on the Red Foxes' staff.

"We're really excited to have Bashir Mason join our basketball family at Marist," Martin said. "He's a young man who has great contacts in the metropolitan area. Bashir is an up- and-coming coach who is a really good communicator and teacher and has a great way with young people. We think he's a great addition to our staff."

Mason is a 2007 graduate of Drexel University who was a four-year starter for the Dragons at point guard. He was a four-time member of the Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive Team. In 2004, he became the first player in the history of the CAA to be named Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman - a season in which Chuck Martin was on Drexel's staff as an assistant.

Mason led Drexel in assists and steals in all four of his seasons at the Philadelphia-based school. He graduated in second place on the school's all-time steals list with 226, and third on its all-time assists list with 471. In his career, Mason scored 1,126 career points. He was also named to the 2006 NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team.

A native of Jersey City, N.J., Mason played scholastically at St. Benedict's for head coach Dan Hurley. Mason spent the 2007-08 season at St. Benedict's as coach of the school's prep team, which won the New Jersey State Prep A Title by defeating Blair Academy.

Mason graduated from Drexel with a bachelor's degree in sport management.