Mason Walters signs with the Valley Suns of the NBA G-League – Jamestown Sun

PHOENIX – Former University of Jamestown and University of Wyoming standout Mason Walters has found his first professional home: the Valley Suns.

“It’s exciting. I’m committed to training camp, so technically I haven’t officially made the roster yet, I guess, but I’m down here and I’ll be here for training camp and just trying to compete and earn a spot on the roster secure,” said Walters. “It’s been great being down here in Phoenix so far. The training went well, especially in our first week of training. It went well to get familiar with my whereabouts and get started.”

The Jamestown native officially signed with the Phoenix Suns’ G League team for training camp on October 12th. Walters’ agent, Drew Kelso, said Walters is under contract through training camp, which runs from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3 or 4.

“He’s going into training camp with the Valley Suns, Phoenix’s new G League team, with the hope that he’ll be included on the actual season roster,” Kelso said.

In July, Walters signed with the Phoenix Suns for the 2024 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Due to a strained quadriceps injury, Walters did not suit up for the Suns.

Although he didn’t play, Kelso said Walters had interest from teams around the world.

“There was certainly a lot of European interest, European clubs,” Kelso said. “But we came to the conclusion, based on the injury in Summer League that kept him out of playing, and the fact that he’s gotten a lot better this year, that we just wanted to give him at least a year to get in to sign to the G-League to further develop ourselves. Take advantage of the resources available to them at this level and really see where he is at. Because obviously he made a huge jump from the NAIA to Mid-Major Plus Division 1 in Wyoming and is now part of the NBA mix. So we’re trying to take our steps and see where he is and hopefully he continues to develop and you know, by next year we’ll see where he really is and even sooner. Maybe come Summer League he’ll be healthy and get a chance to compete in Summer League and then we’ll make a decision from there about where he wants to go with his career.”

During his career as Jimmie, Walters scored 2,662 points and grabbed 1,239 rebounds. Walters owns six career, single-season or single-game records with the Jimmies. In his only season as a Cowboy, Walters averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game.

Walters is expected to join the Valley Sun’s inaugural squad. If he makes the team, he will play alongside several NBA veterans, according to Realgm.com.

“I guess I’m not really trying to compare myself, I’m just trying to play my own game, do what I do, trust what got me to this point in my career, evolve and get better said Walters. “The most important thing about the G-League is development… I… think I can get better. It’s just possible to take it day by day and try to get a little better every day.”

Walters flew to Phoenix and began training on October 12th. Walters said he was incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream.

“It went well,” Walters said. “I was able to talk to them and learn a lot.” Things are going well. I think I was able to learn a lot. … I think I’m doing well so far too.”

Before the Valley Suns open their season against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Nov. 8, Walters said he wants to continue getting used to the pace of the game.

In the days since his signing, Walters said he was working on getting acclimated to his environment and getting some early testing done.

Kelso said the team provides players with housing for the season and helps them with logistical things like moving their vehicles to Phoenix.

“It’s definitely different than living in Jamestown,” Walters said. “It’s a lot different so it’s been good to get used to living in a nice apartment right next to the gym so I can literally just walk across the street and go train. I practiced, trained, trained, came back to the apartment, ate, hung out, and then went back to do some additional recording in the evening. So I just settled into a good routine and didn’t do much exploring downtown Phoenix or walking around like that. Maybe this weekend we’ll look at a few different things and see what’s available in the area.”

As one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Jamestown High School and the University of Jamestown, Walters understands that he is a role model and said he does not take that responsibility lightly.

“I hope, from my experience, that little kids and people growing up in Jamestown use it as something that they can look at and say, ‘Hey, just because I’m from a small town in North Dakota, Doesn’t mean I can do it.'” “I don’t have big dreams or achieve those dreams, whether in basketball or just in general,” Walters said. “I think I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of great things just by believing in God, working hard and surrounding myself with good people, especially when you live in Jamestown and you’re always around good people to support you. So what I mean is that the same people who watched me in high school and college and now in my professional career have supported me. It means a lot to me to know that people are interested or care about how I’m doing. I know I really appreciate that.”

Hello,
My name is Max O’Neill. I’m a sports reporter for The Jamestown Sun. I’m a native New Yorker and graduated from Ithaca College in 2020 with a degree in Television and Radio.