LA VERNE – The University of La Verne and Director of Athletics Dr. Jenna Panatier have selected Anthony Mason as the next head women's basketball coach for the Leopards.
"I am thrilled to welcome Anthony Mason and his family to our Leopard community," said Dr. Panatier. "Coach Mason has a passion for developing student-athletes in a way that brings out the healthiest and happiest version of themselves. I am confident he will do an exceptional job continuing the successful prowess of our women's basketball team while fostering strong relationships in the La Verne community."
Coach Mason comes to La Verne after serving two seasons as the head women's basketball coach of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
"I would like to thank Dr. J and the search committee for this opportunity," said Coach Mason. "I feel extremely blessed to be coming back to the area. The University of La Verne is a great place that is doing amazing things for students. I am excited to be a part of some of those amazing things and to be a part of the bright future of Leopard Athletics. The women's basketball team has already experienced such great success and I am excited to get to work as we look to build on that for the future!"
Coach Mason led the Vassar College Brewers to a 35-17 overall record including a 30-6 mark in Liberty League play. Year-end honors were plentiful during Coach Mason's two seasons. The teams combined for one Liberty League Player of the Year, two Liberty League Defensive Players of the Year, three All-Liberty League First Team selections, two All-Liberty League selections, two D3Hoops.com All-Region selections and one WBCA Honorable Mention All-American while Coach Mason and his staff earned Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year in 2021-22. In the classroom, the team had 11 players named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team during his two years.
Coach Mason came to Vassar after serving as assistant women's basketball coach at Pepperdine University for two years. During his time with the Waves, he served as the defensive coordinator and post coach. While at Pepperdine the Waves posted a 21-33 overall mark, which included a pair of victories in the West Coast Conference Tournament in 2019-20. In addition to his service as an assistant coach, Coach Mason was also a member of the Athletics' Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.
Prior to Pepperdine, Coach Mason served as assistant coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) on two separate occasions. During his stints with the Athenas, which came from 2013-15 and in 2018-19, he helped the squad to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. CMS was the regular season and SCIAC Tournament Champions in 2014 and 2015, while also setting the school record each year for victories with 24.
In between stints at CMS, Coach Mason served as the head coach of the boys' varsity basketball team at Upland High School for four years. He was also a guidance counselor for the school. His squad posted the second-best finish in school history during the 2018 season, which included a 2AA semi-finals appearance and a State Playoff game. Coach Mason saw his squad record victories against Top-50 teams during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, while also guiding the program to the playoffs during three out of the four years. He previously served as the associate head coach at Upland from 2004-2013. Serving as the defensive coordinator, he helped guide the team to seven 20-win seasons, the 2007 Baseline League Championship title and three CIF Southern Section Division 1AA Quarterfinal appearances.
Coach Mason earned his Bachelor's degree in Sociology from California State University Long Beach in 2008 and went on to complete his Masters of Education from Azusa Pacific University in 2013.
