Blackjack
01-02-2010, 01:42 AM
Mason, Bogans flash back to rivalry (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Mason_Bogans_flash_back_to_rivalry.html)
By Mike Monroe - Express-News
WASHINGTON — If, at some point in tonight's Spurs-Wizards game, Keith Bogans and Roger Mason Jr. are on the court at the same time, Washingtonians with a keen sense of local hoops history will think they have taken a step back in time and wandered into the gym at Catholic University or George Washington.
Neither facility is very far from the Verizon Center, where tonight's game will be played. Bogans and Mason aren't that far removed from their days as D.C. area high school rivals, either.
In 1998, George Washington and Catholic U. were the places to see some of the best high school games in North America, because that's where DeMatha Catholic High matched up against Our Lady of Good Counsel.
In 1998, that meant Bogans vs. Mason Jr.
“He went to DeMatha and I went to Good Counsel, and during our senior years, they were No. 1 in the nation and we were top 10,” Mason said. “The (high school) gyms weren't big enough for all the people that wanted to see those games, so they moved them. One game was at George Washington; the other was at Catholic U.”
Sitting in front of his locker at the AT&T Center before the Spurs' blowout victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night, Bogans smiled broadly at the memory of those glory days.
“The place was packed when we played,” he said. “I had to guard Roger and he had to guard me, but to tell the truth, neither one of us played any defense. We just went back and forth, trading baskets.
“It was a great rivalry. I don't remember losing to Rog. Maybe one time in four years.”
From across the Spurs' locker room, Mason leaped to the defense of his prep alma mater.
“We beat you once each year I played,” Mason called out to Bogans, his voice rising. “We can get the tapes, if you want. They're VHS, but they're out there.”
Laughing, Bogans refused to back down.
“I'll look it up for you,” he said.
“We ended up beating them senior year,” Mason insisted, “so we were No. 1 in the area. We flopped back and forth.”
In truth, a rivalry that began when the two were the stars of junior AAU teams in their preteens is rooted in mutual respect.
“It goes back to when we were 10, 11 years old,” Mason recalled. “That's really where it started. AAU basketball in D.C. is huge. Keith was the No. 1 player in the country from the time he was 13 until he was 16, 17 years old. So when we played there was always a lot of hype.”
Bogans landed at Kentucky, one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country, where he finished a four-year career as the Wildcats' No. 4 scorer, all-time. Mason stayed closer to home, playing three seasons at the University of Virginia.
That they united as teammates in the NBA seemed odd to friends and family members.
“His grandmother always tells him she can't believe we're teammates now,” Mason said, “and my Mom always jokes with him, just because basketball is so big where we're from. We were well-known rivals.”
Bogans has reshaped his game from his high-scoring days at both DeMatha and Kentucky. He found his niche in the NBA as a defender. Mason believes his expanding offensive game owes a lot to the preparation he gets by occasionally working against Bogans in Spurs practice sessions.
Bogans likes the daily challenge.
“Rog could always shoot the ball,” he said. “He's always been a great catch-and-shoot guy, even back in high school.
“Me, I wasn't a defender then. I was a scorer. I wasn't even thinking about defense then.”
Bogans' challenge tonight will be limiting Washington's Caron Butler, averaging 16.9 points per game for a Wizards team apt to be determined after a rant by coach Flip Saunders that followed its most recent loss. Saunders ripped his team's defensive work, saying it needed “a mind-set change.”
The Wizards' star, Gilbert Arenas, put it more succinctly: “Right now, we stink,” he told reporters after a 110-98 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday that put them 10 games under .500.
By Mike Monroe - Express-News
WASHINGTON — If, at some point in tonight's Spurs-Wizards game, Keith Bogans and Roger Mason Jr. are on the court at the same time, Washingtonians with a keen sense of local hoops history will think they have taken a step back in time and wandered into the gym at Catholic University or George Washington.
Neither facility is very far from the Verizon Center, where tonight's game will be played. Bogans and Mason aren't that far removed from their days as D.C. area high school rivals, either.
In 1998, George Washington and Catholic U. were the places to see some of the best high school games in North America, because that's where DeMatha Catholic High matched up against Our Lady of Good Counsel.
In 1998, that meant Bogans vs. Mason Jr.
“He went to DeMatha and I went to Good Counsel, and during our senior years, they were No. 1 in the nation and we were top 10,” Mason said. “The (high school) gyms weren't big enough for all the people that wanted to see those games, so they moved them. One game was at George Washington; the other was at Catholic U.”
Sitting in front of his locker at the AT&T Center before the Spurs' blowout victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday night, Bogans smiled broadly at the memory of those glory days.
“The place was packed when we played,” he said. “I had to guard Roger and he had to guard me, but to tell the truth, neither one of us played any defense. We just went back and forth, trading baskets.
“It was a great rivalry. I don't remember losing to Rog. Maybe one time in four years.”
From across the Spurs' locker room, Mason leaped to the defense of his prep alma mater.
“We beat you once each year I played,” Mason called out to Bogans, his voice rising. “We can get the tapes, if you want. They're VHS, but they're out there.”
Laughing, Bogans refused to back down.
“I'll look it up for you,” he said.
“We ended up beating them senior year,” Mason insisted, “so we were No. 1 in the area. We flopped back and forth.”
In truth, a rivalry that began when the two were the stars of junior AAU teams in their preteens is rooted in mutual respect.
“It goes back to when we were 10, 11 years old,” Mason recalled. “That's really where it started. AAU basketball in D.C. is huge. Keith was the No. 1 player in the country from the time he was 13 until he was 16, 17 years old. So when we played there was always a lot of hype.”
Bogans landed at Kentucky, one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country, where he finished a four-year career as the Wildcats' No. 4 scorer, all-time. Mason stayed closer to home, playing three seasons at the University of Virginia.
That they united as teammates in the NBA seemed odd to friends and family members.
“His grandmother always tells him she can't believe we're teammates now,” Mason said, “and my Mom always jokes with him, just because basketball is so big where we're from. We were well-known rivals.”
Bogans has reshaped his game from his high-scoring days at both DeMatha and Kentucky. He found his niche in the NBA as a defender. Mason believes his expanding offensive game owes a lot to the preparation he gets by occasionally working against Bogans in Spurs practice sessions.
Bogans likes the daily challenge.
“Rog could always shoot the ball,” he said. “He's always been a great catch-and-shoot guy, even back in high school.
“Me, I wasn't a defender then. I was a scorer. I wasn't even thinking about defense then.”
Bogans' challenge tonight will be limiting Washington's Caron Butler, averaging 16.9 points per game for a Wizards team apt to be determined after a rant by coach Flip Saunders that followed its most recent loss. Saunders ripped his team's defensive work, saying it needed “a mind-set change.”
The Wizards' star, Gilbert Arenas, put it more succinctly: “Right now, we stink,” he told reporters after a 110-98 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday that put them 10 games under .500.