The Plymouth City Patriots are slowly becoming the must-watch team in the British Basketball League with new star Mason Faulkner at the front of it.
The Plymouth
City Patriots have very quickly become a team on the up. Even though their
record of 1-3 at the time of writing (October 7th), isn’t one of the
best in the British Basketball League, their fortunes have certainly been changing.
After their
first loss in the season, an 82-65 loss to the Bristol Flyers, the Patriots have
beat the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and narrowly lost to the Manchester Giants
and Leicester Riders.
This young
team is certainly getting thrown in the spotlight, and right at the front of
it, is the quickly rising star in Mason Faulkner.
Coming Up
25-year-old
Mason Faulkner is currently at the start of his professional career in
Basketball. After spending five years in several different colleges in the USA,
such as Northern Kentucky, Western California, Colorado, and Louisville,
Faulkner was ready to start his professional journey.
“It’s
helped me a lot. My coach at Northern Kentucky, John Brannen, always told us to
get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
“I’ve
got used to being outside of my comfort zone.”
Playing for
some of the biggest colleges in the United States, especially the University of
Louisville, Faulkner has had to get used to playing against some of the best
talents the world has to offer.
Constantly
seeing himself matched up against the likes of De’Aaron Fox, Paolo Banchero,
and Bam Adebayo, Faulkner believes this experience makes him a stronger player
going forward.
“The
different teams, the different levels, it’s made the transition to being a pro
much better. I’ve played against some of the top guys in the NBA and overseas,
and even though those guys are crazy, it’s helped my transition for sure.”
A BUCKET🤩🪣
Mason Faulkner is your Player of the Game for the @PlymCityPatriot
Faulkner came up big to help the Patriots secure their first W of the season🔥
Watch the highlights here👇
📺https://t.co/nm9POWks2i#UNBEATABLE #BritishBasketballLeague pic.twitter.com/TNFCMyWKgg— British Basketball League (@britishbasketm) October 1, 2023
Mentorship
The young
point guard has been setting the British Basketball League on fire with his recent
performances.
Through his first three games, Mason Faulkner has averaged 21.3 points per game on incredible efficiency of 53% from the field and 48% from the three-point line with four threes made per game. However, Faulkner praises his playmaking skills the most, something he’s looking forward to displaying for Plymouth.
“I’d
love to average 10 assists per game. I’d love to do other stuff than just score.
The scoring ability has been there for me and the team when we needed it. But I’m
a point guard.
“I want
the team to hand me the keys on offence and to have everything on my shoulders.”
Even though
Faulkner is a dynamic scoring guard, his mentor is one of the NBA’s best
rebounders over the past 20 years who wasn’t known for his playmaking.
“My
mentor has been Kenneth Faried. He’s playing overseas right now, but he’s
helped me a lot and having someone like him that has done what I’m trying to do
and where I’m trying to go, it’s definitely helped me in my career.”
Faried
currently plays for Cangrejeros de Santurce in the Puerto Rican basketball
league. The former Denver Nugget sponsors Team Manimal, an AAU team based in
Kentucky that Faulkner played for.
The Future
When
watching Mason Faulkner, you can tell he’s the prototype of a modern guard. With
his ability to shoot from everywhere on the floor, sharpshooting abilities, and
distinct playmaking, you can tell Faulkner has been inspired by the likes of
Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, and Kyrie Irving.
Faulkner
agreed that if he could play with any player in the world, it would be Damian
Lillard or Kyrie Irving.
“I would
love to play with Kyrie or Lillard. They play their own game, and it’s like you
can tell they’ve mastered how to turn the game and control the pace. But I
would want to learn from them and watch them more.”
When
speaking to Faulkner, you can tell he is only hungry to improve and stay grounded.
Instead of choosing lofty expectations, Faulkner set the goals of improving the
record of the Patriots and making a mark for the organisation.
The humility
of Faulkner was shown when he chose the Patriots as the team to start his
professional career at.
“My
agent laid out on the table a great opportunity for me. It’s a great league, it’s
a great coach at the Patriots, and the team has made our lives easier.
“The hospitality by the Patriots has been off the charts. They’ve shown us around and made sure everything is okay with us. It’s really made the transition from America not what I expected, and I haven’t had any complaints at all.”
The League
Mason
Faulkner is a star on the rise, and the Plymouth City Patriots will be hoping
that the young American guard can turn their hopes around going forward in the
British Basketball League.
With the new season here, you can still get your British
Basketball fix by following the League on social media or heading to our YouTube
channel to relive all of the best moments from the current
season.