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Making the grade

By KELLIE DIXON
Published December 31, 2006

SPRING HILL - The sound of bouncing basketballs echoed inside Springstead's gym during an after-school practice in mid-December.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

It's a simple sound. You'd be hard-pressed to make it through a practice anywhere without hearing it. But it's refreshing for junior Nehemiah Mason.

The only after-school thuds in his sophomore season were his house door closing behind him, his bookbag hitting the floor or his books being opened on the table.

That's because Mason's parents pulled him off the team after the Eagles' first preseason game. They weren't happy with his grades, and Mason learned quickly that life isn't all about "the round ball," as his mom, Harriett , put it.

A year and higher grade point average later, Mason is back at shooting guard for the Eagles. The junior gives the deep team a solid starting option. He averages 10 points for Springstead 11-1, 7-0 Class 4A, District 8. Mason is shooting 46 percent from the field and 67 percent from the line. He expects to return healed from a sprained ankle after the break.

Springstead second-year coach Craig Swartout knew Mason would be an asset. He missed having the 6-foot guard on his team last year but understood his parents' logic.

Still, Swartout would catch a glimpse of Mason pounding the court during physical education class.

"He's real smooth," Swartout said. "There's no wasted effort when he's out there. I guess the most impressive thing was his competitiveness. You could tell even in PE class he wanted to be a little bit better than everybody else. Of course, as a coach, that's a trait you want to see."

His parents wanted their son to try and outwork other people in the classroom, too. Mason met the 2.0 minimum grade point average as required by the Florida High School Athletic Association. But that wasn't enough.

Mom wanted a 3.0. Really, she would have settled for the same effort she saw him give on the basketball court. That wasn't happening, so Mason's parents gave him a reason to refocus.

The conversation took place one day after school last year. Nehemiah didn't like his parents' decision, but he didn't waste much energy protesting it. He admits his mom, a Tampa native who played at Vanderbilt, knew what she was talking about. Grades mattered. Fine, he thought. Get the grades, get back on the court.

His grades improved, even in English, where he was having the toughest time. He'd catch a college basketball game on television here and there and study the guard play. But really, every day was the same for Nehemiah. He played as much ball as he could during PE class and hung with the basketball crowd during school. But at the final bell, he'd leave, get on the bus, go home and crack the books.

That didn't leave much time after school for him to watch his teammates' games. And his mom couldn't bear to watch the Eagles play without him. She tried once. Springstead was playing Nature Coast. But she had to leave.

"It was very disheartening," Harriett Mason said. "You know your parents always say, 'This is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you.' And your kid is looking at you like, 'Yeah, right.' He was very devastated, but we were even more devastated because we enjoyed watching him."

This season, the Masons have that chance. And Springstead has another legitimate scoring threat. As long as Mason keeps his grades up, that shouldn't change. His mom, who now teaches at Springstead, keeps an eye on her middle child. It doesn't bother Nehemiah that she looks out for him. He thinks it's a good thing.

His name means, "God has comforted." As far as the junior can tell, his comfort is his basketball talent.

"When I play basketball, I forget about everything else," Mason said. "I just concentrate on doing that."

But when the roundballs are racked up, he knows it's back to the books.

Kellie Dixon can be reached at kdixon@sptimes.com or (352) 544-9480.

[Last modified December 30, 2006, 20:53:10]