May 22, 2006

Los Angeles, CA (May 22) - Loyola Marymount men's basketball and Head Coach Rodney Tention announced that Mason Maynard (6-10, 220, F, Mountain Ridge) has signed his National Letter of Intent to attend LMU and play basketball for the Lions starting in the 2006-07 season. Maynard is the fifth freshman to commit to the Lions for the upcoming season.

Maynard comes to the Lions from Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Ariz. His senior season saw him become one of the top players in the 5A Northwest region, leading the entire region in rebounds and blocks while ranking sixth in scoring. He finished the year averaging 9.1 rebounds per game, nearly two more per game than the next player in the rankings. He added 13.3 points and 47 blocks to his resume.

"Mason really turned into an impressive player as a senior," said Head Coach Rodney Tention. "He did some great things that showed us he will have a future as a Lion. He has good size and he has shown he can play well at both ends of the floor."

At 6-10, 220 pounds, Maynard brings more size to the Lions line-up. While leading Mountain Ridge to a 16-12 overall record and a 6-6 mark in 5A-Northwest play, Maynard tallied 11 double-doubles while putting up solid numbers in the process.

Against North Canyon he scored 21 points with 11 rebounds and seven blocks to lead Mountain Ridge to a 61-46 win. Some of his other double-double games included a 20-point, 12-rebound performance in the first meeting against O'Conner and then a 22-point, 18-rebound outburst in the second meeting. He also had 23 and 13 in the 62-56 win over Independence and 16 and 16 in the win over Flagstaff.

Following his senior season he also led the Arizona Magic Seniors this April at the Las Vegas Easter Classic. Featuring some of the best prep players in the nation, Maynard led the team to a final 16 finish in the event.

Maynard, who was a first-team All-Region selection, is the second Arizona stand-out to join the Lions for the 2006-07 season. Shawn Deadwiler II (6-3, 175, G, South Mountain), an All-State selection from South Mountain, also signed to join the Lions in 2006-07. Maynard and Deadwiler join fellow Arizona native Jon Ziri on the Lions' roster. Ziri started 27 games last season for the Lions and was among the conference leaders with 47 steals in leading the Lions to the title game of West Coast Conference championships in 2005-06.

Also joining the Lions as freshman in 2006-07 will be Terron Sutton (6-9, 230, F, Price High School), Brad Sweezy (6-6, 195, F, Ocean View High School) and Max Zuyderhoff-Craig (7-0, 260, C, St. Thomas More Prep).

- GO LIONS -