Photo via Jimmie Athletics

KANSAS CITY, MO. (NewsDakota.com) – Put one final feather in the cap of the greatest basketball player in Jimmie history.

Jamestown’s Mason Walters was named the 2023 NAIA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year on Tuesday.

2,662 career points, 1,239 rebounds, the all-time single-season scoring record, highest average points per game in a year and a career… and the list continues for Walters in the Jamestown basketball record books.

The senior and Jamestown native has been a staple of the Jimmie program for the last four years and becomes the second men’s player in UJ/JC history to be named the NAIA Player of the Year, joining Brandon Wilkens from the 2003-04 team. Walters is the first Jimmie since the D1-D2 merger to win the award.

It all started during his freshman season when Walters was selected as the 2019-20 GPAC Freshman of the Year. Since then, he’s been the conference player of the year three times, a three-time first team NAIA All-American, and now, the national player of the year.

During his Jamestown career, Walters posted 70 career double-doubles, had 26 games with at least 30 points, and finished his career with 75 consecutive games scoring 10+ points. 2019 Mr. Basketball in North Dakota scored 20+ points in 30 of 34 games during his senior season at UJ.

Despite dealing with an injury for the entire second semester, he made the most field goals in the country (347) and was first in points scored in the NAIA (904). Only ONE player in college basketball scored more points than Walters in 2022-23. Antoine Davis of NCAA Division 1 Detroit Mercy is the only player to score more points (930).

Walters was second in the NAIA in points per game (26.6), points per 40 minutes (35.3), and fourth in total rebounds (321).

#33 will be in the hearts of Jamestown fans forever as he turns his attention toward whatever comes next in his basketball career.