Mason Doherty, a high school basketball player in St. Peter, MN, recently became a social media celebrity after nailing a buzzer-beater shot vs. Minnehaha Academy. But it wasn’t the shot that was special. It wasn’t the fact they were playing Minnehaha, a top team in Minnesota and the top-five team in the nation. It wasn’t even the fact that Mason has Down Syndrome. It was what happened after the shot that was truly special.
This is not the first time that Mason Doherty has come up in the news for his basketball abilities. He is well-known around the Minnesota high school basketball community for his sharpshooting skills – especially when it comes to 3-pointers. He has hit multiple clutch 3-pointers throughout his high school basketball career and idolizes Steph Curry with dreams of playing in the NBA.
Mason knocking sinking the 3-pointer at the buzzer against Minnehaha was especially memorable because of the reaction of the gym after it sunk through the net. Mason missed his lay-up, got the ball back at the 3-point line, got his feet set and drained the shot at the buzzer.
Mason Doherty is a senior at St. Peter who just happens to have Down Syndrome
Today, he showed everyone there is no such thing as “I can’t” ❤️ #InspiringSports pic.twitter.com/zs61U6NgDo
— SportsEngine (@SportsEngine) February 9, 2020
The gym, including the opposing team, erupted in cheers. Jalen Suggs, the top 5 high school player in the country, even took a selfie with Mason after the game and tweeted about how that moment topped everything they had done so far in the season.
When Mason hit that shot no one cared about who won, who lost or, who had the most points –– they were supporting a kid who loves and is skilled in the sport of basketball; he just happens to have a disability.
Since the video of his shot went viral on social media, Mason has encaptured people across the country with the skills and confidence he has on the basketball court. Hopefully, his video and his drive to be great will encourage little boys and girls, who also may have disadvantages or disabilities, to never give up on their dreams.
