2010 NBA Draft Preview: Tommy Mason-Griffin

Former Sooner point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin looks to make the step into the NBA after only one season with Oklahoma.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:48 am

By: News On 6

2010 NBA Draft Preview: Tommy Mason-Griffin

Originally Published: Jun 17, 2010 12:58 PM CDT

2010 NBA Draft previews from Oklahoma Sports
- Latavious Williams
- James Anderson
- Tommy Mason-Griffin
- Tiny Gallon
- Willie Warren
- Ben Uzoh
- Jerome Jordan
- Ekpe Udoh
- Daniel Orton
- Xavier Henry

Stephany Speck
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma -- It could be easy for NBA teams to overlook Tommy Mason-Griffin. Not because the former Oklahoma Sooner stands at only 5-foot-11-inches - some outlets reporting 5-foot-10-inches - but because his lone season of stats doesn’t really compare to the other slew of point guards vying for a future with the league.

During the 2009-2010 season with the Sooners, Mason-Griffin averaged 14.1 points per game in the 31 games. While his 203-pound, stocky frame served OU well for aggressively creating space, his extra weight will likely not transfer in the NBA. He battled inconsistency when trying to finish shots, making just under 38 percent of his two-point attempts and wasn’t impressive when attempting to make plays in the lane.

Mason-Griffin’s announcement to leave his days of college ball behind him was perhaps a bigger story than his performance on the court. Choosing to bypass the orthodox press conference to make the official statement, the freshman used social media network Facebook to post “leavin skool and enterin the draft,” as his status. Head coach Jeff Capel later confirmed the declaration.

Check out the full Facebook message.

The move, perceived by many as unprofessional, could hinder his odds of getting drafted. Mason-Griffin hired NFL agent Major Adams, but will be lucky to get drafted in the second round.

Overall, the point guard’s smartest move would have been to stay with coach Capel and the Sooner program, take a season or two to develop his natural instincts and then make the move - granted, this is the same player whose spelling skills are displayed in his career-altering Facebook press release.