LYNN — Another star player from the Division 1 state champion English boys basketball team has made a decision on where to play his college ball, as senior guard Mason Jean-Baptiste announced that he has committed to play at Keene State College next year.
“I’m really excited to make this decision,” said Jean-Baptiste, a three-year varsity player with the Bulldogs. “It’s a great place for me to further myself on the court and in the classroom, and it’s still close enough for people to come watch me play. The coaching staff has really shown me a lot of love and I’m really excited to get started with them.”
Jean-Baptiste first met the coaching staff at Keene over the summer last year at a summer league game. The two sides kept in touch all through Jean-Baptiste’s senior year, and the guard chose the Owls over other schools like Brandeis University and WPI.
“I really got along well with the coaching staff,” Jean-Baptiste said. “They made me feel welcome right away.”
“Mason is my guy,” said English coach Antonio Anderson. “He’s been here with me for all three years and he’s gotten better every year. He turned himself into the best on-ball defender in the state and really made a name for himself. I’m really proud of where he’s made it to.”
Jean-Baptiste started his high school career at St. Mary’s, but he made the move to English before his sophomore year. That coincided with Anderson’s arrival as English’s new coach, and the pair helped build the Bulldogs back into a back-to-back state champion.
Always a tough defender, Jean-Baptiste worked to become a reliable scorer and a true team leader in his three years at English.
“When I came to English, I was really looking to start over,” Jean-Baptiste said. “I tried to work hard every day and keep getting better. Antonio really gave me an opportunity to grow into a leader and a player by playing me early on, and it paid off as things went on.”
“One of the big things about Mason is his work ethic, and he brings it every day,” Anderson said. “He really developed his offensive game over the past couple years and turned himself into a guy who could lead us in scoring any night. He’s a great defender and a great leader as well, and he continued to develop those skills over time.”
Now that his decision has been made, Jean-Baptiste is focusing on preparing for his first year of college basketball. With the COVID-19 coronavirus shutting off his access to gyms and outdoor courts for now, Jean-Baptiste has been doing what he can from his home.
“Right now I’m just doing whatever I can,” said Jean-Baptiste. “I’m just trying to keep myself in shape with pushups, situps and all of those bodyweight exercises until I can finally get back in the gym.”
Anderson thinks Jean-Baptiste will be just fine when he makes the move to the next level.
“Mason is a guy who just gets it,” Anderson said. “He’s a good student, he works hard in the gym and he’s a team guy. The fact that he can defend so well already is going to be big for him, and his scoring ability will definitely help him as well. He can do what it takes to help the team win.”
