From Lobo ball boy to UNM scholarship offer, Brandon Mason Jr. is making a name for himself

The list is short, if it’s even a list at all.

While many a ball boy in the Pit for UNM men’s basketball games has dreamt of one day playing for the Lobos, it’s possible Brandon Mason Jr. — yes, Jr. — might have recently become the first former Lobo ball boy who was ever actually offered a scholarship by the UNM Lobos.

Mason Jr. is a 6-foot-6 guard who just wrapped up his sophomore year at ABC Prep Academy in Albuquerque and is ranked the No. 71 recruit in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports.com.

“I would like to thank @CoachEricOlen for the new Lobo offer. This offer from the new staff @UNMLoboMBB means a lot, too. #GoLobos,” he wrote on a social media post announcing the offer.

If you’re thinking the name sounds familiar, you’re right. He’s the son of Brandon Mason — who now needs to start using “Sr.” in his name — the former New Mexico State Aggies guard who was on the coaching staffs of three head coaches at UNM — Steve Alford, Craig Neal and Paul Weir.

The most recent stint as a Lobos assistant included each of his sons, Brandon Jr., B’Angelo and Melo, working as ball boys at Lobo home games — a not all that uncommon occurrence for the sons of Lobo basketball coaches.

This past season, Jack Pitino, son of former head coach Richard Pitino, and Deekan Felton, son of assistant Tarvish Felton, were regulars wiping up sweat, shagging balls and yelling at referees from under the basket of Pit games. Alongside Brandon Mason Jr. for dozens of games was Lyris Robinson, son of former Lobos assistant Jerome Robinson. Lyris Robinson is also a heavily recruited Class of 2027 basketball player now in Arizona with several Division I scholarship offers of his own, though not one from UNM. Yet.

As for Mason Jr., he no longer looks like that same kid fans may remember seeing firing up 3-pointers at halftime a few years back. He’s now sinking them on a regular basis playing at ABC Prep, where his father is owner and CEO of the local prep school that competes with some of the top prep schools around the nation as part of The Grind Session, an elite-level national basketball circuit for prep schools.

Father and son are flying to Lithuania later this week so Brandon Jr. can play in the first of three international games — the other two are in Rome, Italy, and Madrid, Spain — between a Grind Session select all-star team of 10 players from around the country and three international teams selected by FIBA.

“I’m really looking forward to the amazing experience to play overseas, trying out new rules playing with FIBA and playing with some of the high level talent from the Grind Session,” Mason Jr. told the Journal in a text message. “I haven’t been overseas since I was little so this is going to be such (an) unforgettable experience to travel the world.”

Brandon Jr. is up to 15 Division I offers, and to be clear for those fans of the elder Mason’s playing days, coach Jason Hooten and the New Mexico State Aggies offered Mason Jr. in February.

While dad knows his way around recruiting and certainly what to look for in this process, don’t expect him to play favorites and push his son in any particular direction.

“I’m proud of my son because he puts the work in,” Brandon Mason Sr. said. “He’s never been the tallest, strongest or best player. He’s kept his head down and works every day. This is what makes me proud, to see him grind on his own and working with coach Dairese Gary.”

Gary, who happens to be Mason Jr.’s favorite former Lobo, also works at ABQ Prep in addition to being a basketball trainer, including for Mason Jr.