In an effort to give local youth more exposure to college basketball programs, former UNM men's basketball assistant coach Brandon Mason has started the Albuquerque Basketball Club (ABC).
The goal is to give top-notch talent an opportunity to thrive and be discovered by larger college programs around the country, according to KRQE.
“Just taking these trips and playing against the number one team in the country, playing against the number seven team in the country," Mason said of the program. "Win or lose, the opportunity of competing at a higher level and also sitting in front of a Washington State, St. Johns, Mizzou, like all these high-level schools PAC 12, Mountain West. It’s just good to see something come out of it. So, that’s a good thing for our New Mexico kids.”
So far, two players with the ABC have Division I college offers to play basketball. It's Mason's hope that he gets to usher even more players toward college offers by the end of this season and beyond. For the players, it's still a tradeoff: Players that play with ABC aren't able to pay for their high school teams, but the exposure that ABC gives is often worth it.
The team is scheduled to play four games in Las Vegas this week, providing an opportunity for interested colleges to see the talent on display.