When Osceola Head Basketball Coach Steve Perez stepped down to enter private business last week, Athletic Director Jim Bird only had to walk down the hall to find his replacement. Bird named Steve Mason, who has worked at Osceola High School for more than two decades as a coach and teacher, to take over the program for a second time.
“This really wasn’t a difficult decision and certainly did not require any search committee,” Bird said about the hire. “Steve Mason is the most loyal Kowboy in the world. He bleeds blue and gold and has a great knack at building relationships with athletes and getting them to compete at their potential. He has a long history with our basketball program and is a great coach. We are so excited to see him back as a head coach at Osceola.”
Mason graduated from Osceola High School in 1984 and attended UCF where he graduated with a degree in social studies. He returned to Osceola and became head coach of the freshman basketball team in 1993.
After serving as the interim varsity coach in 2000 and 2007 to bridge the gap between permanent coaches, he was named head coach in 2009 and recorded a 66-30 record in four years. Following the 2012-13 season, he stepped down to spend more time with his family and recommended that his assistant coach Nate Alexander to succeed him. Alexander led Osceola to two state titles.
“I had a young son and he was just starting to get into youth sports,” Mason said. “I knew I could not spend the time required to be the father I wanted to be, while still being able to devote the time required for practices, scouting and off-season conditioning.”
Mason did remain close to the program, attending football, basketball, and baseball games at Osceola – all while working as a guidance counselor for the school, and was present at nearly every one of those games during the Kowboys’ 2017 and ’19 seasons. He also came back and served a year under Alexander – his former assistant – when an opening came up on his staff.
When Perez stepped down following a successful 13-9 season where they finished second in a difficult district and qualified for regionals, Mason jumped at the chance to once again lead the program.
“Steve (Perez) received a career opportunity in private business that he could not turn down. My son is older now and when Coach Bird called me with the chance to become Head Coach, I was elated,” Mason said. “Osceola has an incredible tradition in basketball and I look forward to keeping that tradition growing.”
As part of his new position, Mason will transfer from guidance to physical education, where it will allow him to spend more time with the athletes.
He heads into the 2021-22 season with high expectations. “We’re returning two extremely talented guards in Chris and Sean Combs, I think they are two of the best in the area. Our summer program has been going well and I know we have two or three football players that are also talented basketball players that will be joining our team after their season.”
In addition, he believes that many talented middle school basketball players that he coached in AAU ball and live in the Osceola High School zone will provide a feeder program for years to come.
“Osceola High School Athletics have always had a standard and expectation of excellence. I have been involved in Osceola High School since ninth grade and other than leaving for a few years for college, my life has revolved around the Kowboys. I am extremely excited for this new chapter in front of me.”
