Mason Klabo: Baller Interview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, we caught up with the Fargo Davies star guard, [player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']. This sharpshooting Eagle is the #1 ranked prospect in the 2025 class from ND. This kid is so good at basketball that he got a D1 offer from NDSU as a freshman! Last season, Klabo helped Davies win the EDC regular season Championship and the EDC Tournamnet. Mason was also All-EDC and First Team All-State. That is unheard of for a 9th grader. As a freshman, Mason averaged 24.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, 3.3 spg. Talk about impressive! Klabo is not just a stud in high school ball. He plays AAU hoops with Howard Pulley out of Minnesota. They play against stiff competition and Klabo is surrounded by elite talent. From everything that I have heard, [player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo'] was a standout all AAU season long in every event that Pulley played in. If you thought he had a nice freshman season, just wait until this year starts...</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"30px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:30px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo'] (2025) |6'2 G| Fargo Davies/Howard Pulley</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">"<em>What separates Mason from other kids is his mindset. Mason plays the game the right way and is unfazed when he makes mistakes. Mason is a great leader for his age and has the ability to score at different levels. He has the ability and strength to finish at the rim. He has an unbelievable mid-range game and can shoot the 3. Made 74 3's as a freshman! Mason will eclipse 1000 pts plus this year as a sophomore. His motor never stops on the court! People need to get out and watch him play! Special talent!</em>" </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"16px"}}} --> <p class="has-text-align-center" style="font-size:16px"><em><strong>-Bart Manson, Davies head coach</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">"<em>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo'] is a very tough matchup as he can beat you in a variety of ways. He is a shifty ball handler and does a great job of attacking the hoop. He progressed really nicely from year 1 to year 2. I'm intrigued to see how he shoots it from the outside the next 3 years - I would expect double teams or junk defenses to come his way so the ball is out of his hands.</em>" </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">"<em>What makes him a really good player is that he competes hard on every play. He plays with high effort and intensity. He has no problem rebounding as a guard and does a great job of getting his teammates involved.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"16px"}}} --> <p class="has-text-align-center" style="font-size:16px"><em><strong>-Tom Kirchoffner, former Sheyenne head coach</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1400357,"width":537,"height":352,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/klabomason-crop-3226x2118-1646407529.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/klabomason-crop-3226x2118-1646407529.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1400357" width="537" height="352"/></a><figcaption>Textbook shooting form. Klabo went off for 45 points in this game vs. North.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size">"<em>Mason plays the game with the mindset of a warrior. He wants to do whatever he needs to for his team to win. Whether it's taking a charge, setting</em> an away screen, or having<em> his hands on the ball when it's clutch time. He's a gym rat, a true student of the game, and one hell of a human being. I will always wish him the best and look forward to trying to game plan for him this season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"16px"}}} --> <p class="has-text-align-center" style="font-size:16px"><em><strong>-Travis Hoeg, North head coach</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1554761,"width":476,"height":356,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/klaboeci.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/klaboeci.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1554761" width="476" height="356"/></a><figcaption>Klabo in his younger years, playing for coach <em>Hoeg</em> and ECI</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Full Interview with [player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: You played for Howard Pulley, what cities did you all play in this spring/summer?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Other than Minneapolis, we went to Indianapolis, Kansas&nbsp;City, Augusta, Ames, and Orlando.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: You are 15 years old, do you ever take a day off from sports? If so, what do you do for fun?&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>The sports I play, I really enjoy, so playing them every day is fun. Once I get a weekend off, I try to get down to the lakes and surf with my friends.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: You also play football, how does that help you as a basketball player?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Football makes me a lot stronger in different areas that basketball can't, so playing football helps tremendously with basketball. Driving to the hoop and being able to take or give a bump helps me score efficiently with the strength that football gives me.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: Do you have any advice for young players that want to play varsity at an early age or want to play at the National AAU level as you have?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Work hard. With all the social media we have today if you are good enough you will be found to play at high AAU levels. Just work hard, be obsessed with the game and everything will lay out the way you want it to.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: You have been playing&nbsp;varsity sports for multiple years, how do you balance that with being a teenage student/athlete and hanging out with kids your own age?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>All my friends play the same sports I do so after games/practices we like to go out to eat.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: As an athlete what did you focus on this offseason?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Strength. Being younger than most of the players I play against I'm not the strongest. Especially with football, I need to gain weight to be able to take hits and run the ball.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: What invite camps/events did you attend this summer and how did they go?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>I went to the MBCA D1 Showcase in Minneapolis and it went well. It was really cool to see all the coaches and play against the best players there.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: What is your mindset going into your sophomore season for football and basketball?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>For both sports is to try to be state champs. I believe we have the talent on both teams to make a run for state champs. It would be nice because both sports haven't won since 2014.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: As a basketball player, do you feel like you have any weaknesses and how do you work on improving them?&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>I've been trying to get better at controlling the pace of the game. When watching the best guards in basketball, they can control the game with the ball in their hands. Also shooting. I feel like you can never be good enough at shooting</em>."&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: What are a few highlights/memories from the AAU season with Pulley?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>In our first tournament in Orlando, we played Team Durant and lost by 30+ points. In our second to last tournament in Kansas City, we took them to overtime and only lost by 2. How much our team improved over a couple of months was impressive and I can't wait to get back at it.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: You received&nbsp;an offer from NDSU last winter, can you talk about what it meant to you as a freshman to get a D1 offer?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>It was a dream come true to get a division 1 offer, that was my main goal ever since I was a kid. Having a school believe in my game also means a lot because it shows that all the work I've been putting in is starting to show.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: In ND, where is your favorite&nbsp;venue to play basketball&nbsp;and why?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Our home court at Davies because that's where I put up most of my shots. Sometimes it feels like everything goes in there.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: Can you talk about how recruiting has gone for you in the last 6&nbsp;months?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>It's been good and a blessing to talk to some coaches you'd never think you'd be able to talk to.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: Athletically, what are your long-term goals?&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Win some state championships for Davies and then hopefully go to the next level and for a school that fits me the best.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: You were All-State as a freshman, what are your goals for your sophomore season at Davies?&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Do whatever the team needs me to do to win. If that's leading in assists then that's what I do, if I need to lead in rebounds that's what I'll do. I think all of us want to win in March and are really locked on that.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: Who wins in a game of P-I-G, you or coach <em>Manson</em> and why?&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1169136' first='Mason' last='Klabo']: "<em>Manson's days are over! LOL, so I think I got him easy. Back in the day though it might be a different story.</em>"&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1173626,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/klabo.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/klabo.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1173626"/></a><figcaption>Photo: Kristi Ulrich Photography</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->