A triple international as a teen, Parris Mason is juggling careers in netball and basketball - from the ANZ Premiership finals next week straight into the new Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. And she's in no hurry to choose one over the other.
Parris Mason insists she still has time to take a breather.
Between winning the National Netball League title with Central Manawa (where she was the star of the final), studying towards a bachelor of sport and exercise, and starting the basketball pre-season for the new Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa league, rest is key for the young athlete to be able to perform at her best.
Mason has also featured in 10 games for the Central Pulse in the ANZ Premiership this season, who’ve secured a top-three finish and now have a very real chance of regaining the title they held in 2019 and 2020.
“I definitely don’t like being told when to rest,” the 19-year-old laughs. “But getting older, you realise it’s just something you’ve got to do. And when you rest well, you put yourself in a way better position to be able to play.”
Mason has signed with the Tokomanawa Queens basketball team to play in the new women’s national league, Tauihi, tipping off at the end of this month.
Basketball pre-season has started, so Mason has had to manage a few clashes with the Pulse’s training schedule. But both teams have been supportive, she says.
The semi-professional league is ground-breaking, with the female players paid on an equal pay scale to the men’s competition. This has drawn New Zealand’s top basketballers home - most have had to travel overseas once they leave high school to further their playing careers.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for women in New Zealand basketball - we’ve never had this opportunity to be professional in our own country,” Mason says. “To know this is an option for us is huge.
“And just to start the legacy for this Queens team is an incredible opportunity I’m definitely not taking for granted.”
Even with her netball career developing, the decision to sign with the Queens - who represent the bottom of the North Island - was a no-brainer for Mason.
“When I was younger, I was an international double netballer and basketballer [as well as playing touch for New Zealand], and I definitely think being a multiple sports person has always been a part of me and who I am,” says the teen, who won silver for New Zealand at the 2019 FIBA U17 Oceania championships in New Caledonia.
“So when the basketball league was announced, I was definitely straight in there wanting to gain that again.”
Over the 2021 ANZ Premiership season, Mason only played 61 minutes as a fully contracted player, which came into her decision to remain a Pulse training partner this year and hone her craft in the feeder league.
When international defender Temalisi Fakahokotau made the choice to step away from the Pulse before the season started, Mason and Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie made the joint decision not to promote Mason to the team, which gave her the chance to play full games in the NNL.
The decision paid off, with Central winning the league, and Mason earning the MVP award for the final after playing all but one minute of the deciding match.
In the 49-41 final victory over Mainland, Mason finished up with five gains, two intercepts and six deflections.
“The opportunity to go back down and play NNL was huge in my netball development,” Mason reflects.
“Then getting the MVP performance was a very good feeling for myself to be able to accomplish and put my best foot forward for the following season to get signed [to the Pulse].”
Despite it being a difficult decision, Mason has no regrets, seeing improvement in her game and also gaining confidence in her abilities.
“I think you can get fit as much as you want out of training, conditioning and stuff, but when you’re actually out there running for a full 60, that just gives you match play fitness which is something I really needed,” she says.
Still getting game time at the Pulse (63 minutes this season), Mason has the chance to line up for the Central side in their final round robin game against the Mystics on Friday.
The victorious team will most likely win the ANZ Premiership minor championship title and get to host the grand final, but the Stars still have an outside chance to finish in the top spot if they win their game against the Steel tonight.
A member of the New Zealand U21 netball team which had their Netball World Youth Cup opportunity cancelled due to Covid, Mason is staying available for any further national opportunities in netball, alongside her rising basketball career.
And she still plays touch too. She became a triple international after representing New Zealand in an U16 mixed touch team in 2017. She was just 14, and still in Year 10 at New Plymouth Girls’ High School.
“Touch is definitely one of my favourites, it’s a very safe place for me to go back and be able to play,” she says.
“All three sports are a very big part of my life and all three of them bring a different happiness to me. So whenever I can go play one of them, it’s great fun.”
At the beginning of this year, Mason changed her degree from science to sport, having to be self-motivated when studying remotely around her sporting career.
“I’ve come to realise I’m just very extremely passionate about netball, and I want to be able to give back when I’m older,” she says.
Mason is interested in coaching, especially high performance sport in secondary schools, and is hoping to encourage the narrative that young athletes don’t have to choose just one sport.
“I definitely think playing more sports and not specialising too early is a thing that is possible,” she says.
Despite feeling pressure to choose between her three sports, Mason has the support to be competitive and continue with all three passions.
“It’s benefitted me in so many ways,” she says. “I’ve had so many opportunities in all sport I’ve played. It’s all to do with how well you manage yourself - it is possible to do, you’ve just got to be really smart and make sure you surround yourself with a very good support system to be able to manage it all.”
With this season of Tauihi being the first, Mason is a trailblazer for young women basketballers in New Zealand who are hoping for higher honours.
And while she’s fully committed to the upcoming basketball season, Mason still has her eyes on the black dress.
“I definitely would still say netball is my priority,” she says. “But being able to do both is a big part of my life and I’d love to see if I can go as long as I can with both sports.”
*The Stars face the Steel at 7pm on Thursday, live on Sky Sport 1, while the Mystics vs Pulse game is live on Sky Sport 2 on Friday at 7pm.
