Basketball Star Breyana Mason Prepares for First Year at University of Virginia

Between breaking the school scoring record, winning a Northwest region championship, and earning the Gatorade Virginia player of the year award, there’s not much Breyana Mason didn’t accomplish for the Forest Park High School girls’ basketball team.

Now, she’s headed to the University of Virginia to leave her mark on the Cavaliers.

“I want to come in and be part of a tournament team,” Mason said. “I really want to help UVa get back in the national limelight.”

For the Cavs, who recently graduated former starting point guard China Crosby, Mason’s abilities as a scoring guard should be invaluable.

“She’ll do a great job at Virginia, I see wonderful things in her future,” said Rebecca Tillett, Forest Park’s head coach. “She’s never satisfied, I think she’ll get better every day.”

Although Mason is comfortable with the Cavaliers now, she underwent a thorough recruiting process to figure out where she belonged.

“Her family was a huge part of the whole process, they went on multiple visits and gave her an opportunity to build a relationship with the coaching staff,” Tillett said. 

Ultimately, it was Virginia’s blend of academic excellence and athletic prominence that lured Mason to Charlottesville.

“They just have such great academics and good players and coaches that I wanted to be a part of it all,” Mason said.

But with attending UVa comes the inevitable comparisons to former Cavalier and Bruin Monica Wright.

The previous high-scorer at Forest Park, Wright now plays for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx and recently got engaged to NBA star Kevin Durant.

“People definitely think we’re supposed to be the same, so there’s some pressure that comes with that,” Mason said. “But we’re different as players, even if we accomplished some of the same things, so it’s all about creating my own path now.”

For Forest Park’s coaches, the greatest similarities between Wright and Mason were their personalities.

“As a staff, we certainly never compared them,” Tillett said. “If anything, they’re similar for how humble and gracious they both are.”

It’s just that sort of character that Tillett will miss as Mason departs Woodbridge.

“I’ll really miss her ability to remain competitive every single practice,” Tillett said. “She also had this quiet sense of humor that really lent itself to a team environment.”

But this feeling of loss will hardly be one sided.

“I’m really going to miss the little things, like team meals and bus rides,” Mason said. “I had a great camaraderie with my teammates, so I’ll definitely miss basketball season there.”

Although she’ll be gaining a new mentor in Cavs coach Joanne Boyle, Mason also laments the loss of her old coach.

“Coach Tillett was always so supportive of everything, both with school and my family,” Mason said. “She always pushed me and encouraged me to be a more vocal leader.”

While the two may be separated for now, Tillett plans on following Mason’s career closely, wherever it may lead.

“She could call me and tell me she’s going into a career in medicine or that she’s going pro, and I wouldn’t be surprised either way,” Tillett said. “She can accomplish whatever she decides on.”