Mason Gillis (born November 24, 2000) is an American college basketball player for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Mason Gillis
No. 18 – Duke Blue Devils
PositionPower forward
LeagueAtlantic Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2000-11-24) November 24, 2000 (age 24)
New Castle, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolNew Castle
(New Castle, Indiana)
College
Career highlights and awards
  • Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year (2024)

Early life and high school career

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Gillis was born in New Castle, Indiana. He attended New Castle High School and was named an Indiana Junior All-Star following his junior season in which he averaged 21.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.[1] However, following a knee injury, Gillis missed the entirety of his senior season.[2]

Gillis was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for Purdue over several other offers including Butler and Xavier.[1]

College career

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Redshirt

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After missing his senior season in high school with a knee injury, Gillis redshirted in his first season at Purdue.

Freshman season

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Gillis appeared in 28 games, with 23 starts. On December 21, 2020, Gillis was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.[3]

Sophomore season

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Gillis started in 25 games of the 33 he played in. He was one of nine players nationally to shoot at least 48% from the field, 40% from 3, and 85% from the free throw line.

Junior season

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Gillis played in 32 games, starting in 15. On February 1, 2023, Gillis made 9 3-pointers in a game against Penn State. This was the second most in a single game in Purdue history, behind Carsen Edwards and the most ever in Mackey Arena.

Senior season

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Gillis appeared in a school record 39 games, all off the bench. Following the season, he was recognized as the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.[4] He also shot 46.8% from 3, which was fifth best for a single season in Purdue history. Gillis's contributions helped Purdue to advance to the 2024 NCAA Tournament final.

COVID eligibility

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Despite playing four full seasons at Purdue, Gillis maintained a season of eligibility due to the blanket COVID waiver for the 2020–21 season. On April 26, Gillis committed to Duke to play his final college season.[5]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

edit
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Purdue   Redshirt
2020–21 Purdue 28 23 22.2 .465 .352 .814 4.1 1.3 .4 .1 5.2
2021–22 Purdue 33 25 23.5 .496 .414 .850 4.8 1.1 .4 .2 6.4
2022–23 Purdue 32 15 20.5 .458 .356 .796 3.8 1.4 .5 .1 6.8
2023–24 Purdue 39 0 21.1 .479 .468 .860 3.9 1.7 .2 .0 6.5
Career 132 63 21.8 .475 .407 .829 4.2 1.4 .4 .1 6.3

Personal life

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Gillis's older sister played volleyball at Wisconsin.

References

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  1. ^ a b Baird, Nathan (June 24, 2018). "New Castle forward Mason Gillis commits to Purdue basketball". Journal & Courier. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Baird, Nathan (June 4, 2019). "Purdue's Mason Gillis on gaining faith, and patience, on the way back from knee surgery". Journal & Courier. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "GILLIS NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK". purduesports.com. December 21, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "Purdue Men's Basketball tabbed to numerous conference awards". WLFI. March 12, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  5. ^ "Award-Winning, Tournament-Experienced Transfer Gillis Picks Duke". goduke.com. April 26, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
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