There’s no doubt Crown Point’s Mason Darrell has improved his jump shot.
The 6-foot-2 junior guard speaks about his desire to raise his 3-point shooting percentage this season, and he has gotten stronger too.
But as much as any skill development or physical gains, Darrell’s maturation has put him in a better position to succeed.
“He’s one of those guys who wears his emotion right there on his sleeve,” Crown Point coach Clint Swan said. “For better or worse, he’s an emotional guy. I’ve always said this: The one thing about Mason Darrell, he cares. He cares. That is his greatest attribute.
“He wants to do well. He wants the team to do well. That’s always been very important to him. Sometimes that gets the best of him. But we’ve found the older he gets, the more he’s harnessing that. He’s poised to have a really good year as a result.”
Darrell has made a concerted effort to channel his emotions in a productive direction.
“The body language and attitude part, I’ve definitely worked on it,” he said. “Last year, I was very emotional. Being levelheaded all the time, I’ve definitely gotten better at that.”
Darrell was already quite good last season. He averaged 7.4 points while shooting 25.9% from 3-point range, primarily coming off the bench but playing starter minutes. He was instrumental as the Bulldogs (21-6, 5-2) won a share of the Duneland Athletic Conference title, won their first sectional title since 2016 and won their first regional since 1998 before losing to eventual state champion Fishers in a semistate semifinal.
So expectations are high for the Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 9 in the latest state coaches poll as they prepare to start the season at Penn on Saturday. Among their returning players are star junior guard/forward Dikembe Shaw, as well as junior guards Kingston and Kaiden Rhodes. They also added Merrillville transfer Bryce Peters, a junior guard.
But leading scorer Jack Svetich and three other rotation players graduated, so there are voids to fill.
“This year, I definitely have to try to be a leader,” Darrell said. “The twins, they really don’t talk much. They’re people of few words. But when they talk, people listen. I talk a lot. I’m definitely energetic. I have to step into that leadership role and try to guide this team.”
Kingston Rhodes believes Darrell is up to that task.
“Mason is merging into an even bigger spot this year, being a leader for our team, and also is one of the many hardworking guys we have on our squad,” Kingston Rhodes said. “He sets an example for the younger guys behind us on and off the court.”
Shaw also expressed his confidence in Darrell.
“Mason is just a great player who’s worked really hard this offseason, and the team and I are expecting a lot out of him this year,” Shaw said. “He’s taken huge strides as a scorer; sometimes in practice, it seems like he just can’t be stopped by other guys on the team. I believe one thing that will make a bigger impact than last year is his ability to score a lot better than before. Also, his 3-point shooting has become more consistent to the point where he is a dead 3 shooter. Adding that to the valuable defense he has, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball.
“He’s also a great leader on and off the court, helping the young guys through practice and using his veteran experience to assist everyone. He’s expected to have a great year, and I’m very confident he will.”
Darrell expects that too. He said he “definitely had a great summer, and a lot of people seemed to take notice.”
That summer experience also helped influence his mindfulness.
“Playing in front of college coaches this summer, they watch every little thing,” Darrell said. “So I tried to bring it down a little bit. But I just love to play, man. The energy, I can get so caught up in it. You get so emotional. But I definitely brought it down a little bit.”
Darrell, who has been communicating with a handful of Division I programs, realizes he had a productive sophomore season but there’s more in store.
“I really want to get that first offer,” he said. “That’s a big thing. I want to be a Junior All-Star. I’m on a lot of preseason predictions for that, and I really want to try to do that. I want to be more efficient on the offensive end. Last year, I could get hot, but I also could get really cold. So I have to be more consistent. I have to be smarter, not turning the ball over as much. But now I know my spots, where I can attack.
“I’m just trying to be one of the better guys on the team, one of the better guys in the Region, one of the better guys in the state, really. But I haven’t really proved much yet. I was a varsity guy last year. We won a lot of games. But I definitely haven’t accomplished much. This is definitely a big year for me and the team.”
Darrell has earned Swan’s trust to be one of those core players.
“There were games last year where we needed him in there at the end for scoring or for the aggression that he has defensively, and then there were other games where we needed some other guys out there,” Swan said. “But this year, the biggest transformation I’ve seen is he’s taking such good care of the basketball. Last year, that was probably a little bit of a shortcoming. He turned it over a little too much.
“But it seems like he’s taking care of the ball now, where we can have him in there at the beginning, the middle, at the end of games, whenever. We’re going to be fine with him in whatever stage of the game it is, as long as he stays out of foul trouble.”
Darrell has put in the time to reach that stage.
“He is 100% committed to getting better,” Swan said. “I know when he’s not here, he’s in a gym somewhere. He’s always working to get better. From eighth grade year to ninth grade year, he improved. From ninth grade year to 10th grade year, he improved. From 10th grade year to 11th grade year, he improved. I know he’s going to do the same thing from this year to next year.
“He takes it personally. It’s not just going out there and going through the motions. He’s very serious about his own skill development. He’s gotten better with every passing year, and it’s no different this year.”
More than ever, that process also includes Darrell’s approach.
“Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness,” Swan said. “I heard a coach say, ‘We want to play with emotion, but not be emotional.’ A lot of times, it’s hard to harness. A guy like Mason, it’s harder to harness than some other guys. But I wouldn’t want him to change. I like how he is. It goes hand in hand with his other greatest strength, which is his aggression. He’s always been very aggressive. We’ve never had to tell him, ‘Hey, Mason, let’s go.’ He’s always in attack mode. That goes hand in hand with his personality. That’s how he is when he gets on the court.
“But people are a little taken aback when they’re in the hallways and see him off the court. I always get great compliments from his teachers, what a nice kid he is. And then they see him on the basketball court, and it’s like a transformation. What they see out there, it takes them aback a little. But he’s an awesome kid.”
