Derrick Mason, who had been an assistant coach on the basketball staff at Elbert County High School for the previous five seasons, joined the Lions coaching staff in a similar capacity in August of 2009. A native of Atmore, AL., Mason is the son of Harold and Pat Mason. Mason’s tenure as a coach began as a lay coach at Elbert County High School. During his tenure there he served under previous head coach, Brian Turner and present head coach Larry Brown. He was in charge of player development which included, but not limited to, the physical, educational and social development of the athletes. Mason played an intricate part in the success of the basketball program. This success included a trip to the AAA Elite 8 for the first time in over 10 years. Mason also served as Area Director for various Boys & Girls Clubs across the Southeast Region for six years. There he was responsible for the supervision and development of over 2,000 youth between the ages of 4- 21 in the areas of Character and Leadership Development; Education and Career; Health and Life Skills; Sports Fitness and Recreation.

A unique combination of youth development and basketball experience has enabled Mason to be a tremendous asset to Coach Rosene’s coaching staff. Mason was a 2001 graduate of Emmanuel College with a B.S.in Kinesiology. As an athlete, Mason was known for his size, agility and extraordinary work ethic while leading the team in rebounding and setting the school record for single season and single game blocked shots. Mason is in the process of pursuing a M.A. in Coaching and Athletic Administration and is scheduled to complete this program of study in the fall of 2010.