Just a few weeks ahead of the postseason MVC Arch Madness Tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, the UIC Flames sit 7-8 in conference play. Despite the back-and-forth nature of his team’s season so far, Jordan Mason has been an unwavering force on the court for the Flames.
Mason, a junior guard, played his previous two seasons at Texas State University. Averaging 9.4 points per game for the Bobcats, Mason is already on track to have his highest-scoring season ever.
“Basketball is what I’ve always done,” Mason told MidMajorBasketball.com. “After my first two years at Texas State, I went into the transfer portal, and I found myself feeling at home at UIC.”
After a slow start in the first half of the season, Mason set and subsequently broke his single-game scoring record three games in a row. He put up 23 points in the Flames’ rematch victory against the Bradley Braves on Jan. 29.
Mason currently ranks third on the Flames roster in scoring. He also holds the third-highest 3-point shooting percentage behind power forward Filip Skobalj and graduate guard Joshua Reeves. When asked about his upward trending performance, Mason said he attributes it to his focus on the team dynamic.
“Here at UIC, I’ve been able to play pressure-free because of all the work the rest of the guys and I have put in. We really trust each other, and that makes it easy to just play for each other,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about mistakes, and that’s been huge.”
Through season-long individual performances like Mason’s, the shift in UIC’s basketball culture is more visible than ever. Under the guidance of first-year head coach Rob Ehsan, the Flames are not only on track to record a winning season for the first time in five years but also to turn the tides of their entire program history.
Under Ehsan, the Flames (14-11) hold a .560 winning percentage, the program’s highest in over 20 years. Mason told us that he and the rest of the team are taking the season day by day, but they plan to keep winning.
“Coach Ehsan is great. He brings such good energy into our practices and games, and it makes me look forward to being on the court with him every day,” Mason said.
