LSJ high school athlete of week: Mason's Brett Beaune
Brett Beaune hasn't been part of too many wins on the basketball court the past two years.
The Mason High School senior has been on a mission to change that this season.
After a slow start, that's starting to happen for Beaune and the Bulldogs. Three straight wins have Mason entering Friday's CAAC Red contest against Waverly at 4-4.
And Beaune, who was voted the LSJ high school athlete of the week, has played a significant part in the winning streak that has helped the Bulldogs overcome a 1-4 start to get to .500.
"Last week was huge," said Beaune, who averaged 15.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in wins over Fowlerville and Owosso. "Going into the break, we did not expect ourselves to be 1-4. Last year especially, we could have put our heads down and we didn’t (this year). We talked as a team and said right now we’re going to turn our season around. It was a new year, new us essentially. We just came together as a team and told ourselves we were going to take it one game at a time. That’s what we did. That was huge for us."
Mason picked up a victory Wednesday over Eaton Rapids to add to its win streak and inch closer to surpassing its win total of five from last season.
"We are definitely sick of having down seasons – the last two years especially," Beaune said. "Me and my co-captain – we have played three years on varsity and never had a winning season.
"We’re sick of losing. We’re trying to be a winning team."
It's been more than the lack of past success that has fueled the motivation on the court for Beaune, who is averaging a team-leading 11.9 points. He's also been driven by recent personal losses last month.
"(Wanting more success is) part of it," Beaune said. "The other part is I had a cousin and a grandpa just pass away. I’m just telling myself I’m playing for them and making sure through their eyes I’m playing the way I should be. That’s really pushed me further."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.