Mason Green-Richards

Reported by Ian Snively

Photographed by Kate Gray

With an impressive record and many fabulous plays, Mason Green-Richards has done more than enough to show his dedication to basketball at George Fox University (GFU). 

Richards joined GFU’s basketball team in his freshman year and has since achieved a lot into his junior year. In mid-December, Richards was awarded the “Northwest Conference Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Week” after accomplishing “his sixth 20-plus point game on the season,” according to the GFU Athletics site.

His team also made its way to the Northwest Conference Tournament last year, which Richards described as one of the most important moments in his career with Fox.

“That’s always something special,” Richards said. “I’ve never done that before in my entire life, so it’s cool to be a part of that memory.”

Richards lived all his life locally in Eugene, Ore. He graduated from South Eugene High School in 2015 and transferred to GFU to pursue a major in psychology.

“It’s been honestly a blessing,” he said. “The psych department is fantastic here, the administration is fantastic. Each individual teacher, they care so much about you as a human being.”

Richards said he was always interested in basketball, and though he is not sure what the future holds, he said he would love to have the chance to play in the big leagues if the opportunity arises.

While he does not have a favorite NBA team, Richards said he looks up to Allen Crabbe, who used to play for the Portland Trail Blazers before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets this year.

Richards commemorates his team for the great memories he has had with them and his coaches for their hard work and passion to develop their players into strong people.

“Our coaches and our staff, they create an incredible environment for us to learn,” said Richards. He added that all the staff at GFU do more than just teach the basics in education and athletics. Throughout his time at GFU, he has learned to be a more virtuous and responsible person, as well as a curious one. 

“If you’re to come in and try something new that you haven’t done before,” said Richards, “or any endeavor that you want, make sure you do it full-heartedly. You might have seen certain circumstances where people will regret their past, and especially when you’re spending a lot of money trying to be here, you should really try to do everything you can to have the best experience.”