Masonius Before Transfer to Seton Hall
Faith Masonius, a Spring Lake native, has lived and breathed basketball her entire life. Basketball is a staple sport in her family as she was surrounded by her nine siblings playing the sport at home and her mother, Ellen Masonius, has a notable reputation on and off the court.
After years of playing, practicing, receiving trophies and awards while growing up in New Jersey, Masonius fulfilled her goals of playing Division I basketball and reflects on how her mom continues to serve as her inspiration.
“I think my mom is definitely my biggest role model and inspiration when it comes to basketball. She basically taught me everything I know. Obviously there were a lot of coaches along the way, but my morals and values as a person and a basketball player are definitely ingrained in me from her at a young age,” said Masonius.
As a player, one word Masonius uses to describe herself is: “gritty”.
“I think for me, it's all about the little things and just working hard and kind of having as some people would say from Jersey like just having like that Jersey toughness,” said Masonius. “Yeah, I definitely took that to Maryland with me and that's definitely been installed in me and I think I just continue to show that every time I get on the floor, for sure.”
From 2019 to 2024, Masonius has spent the past five years playing her heart out at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Masonius, Guard and a two-time team captain for the Terrapins, is recognized for her leadership and companionship. She left her mark on College Park wearing the number 13.
Masonius had a career-high of 35 points during the 2022-23 season, ranking No. 49 overall player and No. 10 overall wing by ESPN and served as the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2023), Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award (2023), Fort Myers Tip-Off All-Tournament Team (2022) and Academic All-Big Ten (2021, 2024).
She expresses her gratitude for playing under Coach Brenda Sue Frease and leaves UMD with cherished memories, on and off of the court.
“I'm just like forever grateful for the family and the people I've met here and just to soak up all the information and you know, just everything. Coach, we call her ‘Coach B’, coached me, taught me here at Maryland, so I'm just, I'm forever grateful and I love my experience. I had a lot of fun. I mean, obviously, I've been here for five years, so it was definitely a great experience overall,” said Masonius.
With all her success as a Terrapin, Masonius entered the transfer portal in April in hopes of making her last year worthwhile to gain more basketball knowledge and experience to reach her next goal of becoming a college coach.
“So that definitely was a piece of why I want to transfer and also just for me, I think I've been here for so long and wanting, you know just like a different experience, needing some change my life and you know, like facing adversity and facing change to help me grow as a person,” said Masonius.
Masonius looks forward to gaining more insight from different coaches to help her enhance her future as a coach herself. She recognizes that a lot goes into being a coach, from anywhere between behind-the-scenes work to the physical games.
“So being able to take my last year and gain experience from a different coach, a different coaching style or even having a male coach. I mean, I played basketball for many years and only a collective few amount of years have been coached by a male so I think it's definitely another perspective. I mean, people might not think it is, might not think it's different, but it definitely is different,” said Masonius.
Masonius at Seton Hall
Masonius found her calling as a Seton Hall Pirate to return home to New Jersey to play under Coach Anthony Bozzella, where she can improve her skills and also see her big family of supporters locally in the stands.
Masonius has always had a good relationship with Seton Hall as Bozzella recruited Masonius out of high school and her mom coached side by side Bozzella at Iona University. He was the first coach that she had spoken to after entering the transfer portal which got Masonius extra excited for her next steps and opportunities.
Masonius also had a large appeal for by how many of the coaching staff have been former players of Bozella.
“Yeah, just the energy and the passion he has for the game really, really shows and it shows how much he loves his players. He loves his program and it's just I love his vision of what he wants to do with the program and me being a piece of it. So it was definitely something that I really enjoyed, and playing for somebody that has that much belief in me so it was definitely a good thing,” said Masonius.
Being that Masonius carries a reputation for being a leader and team player, joining a new team and program will come at ease for her. She expresses that of course some nerves come along with new opportunities but there is more excitement that takes over those nerves as she is eager to act as a “sponge” to take in and learn from new teammates, coaches and staff.
“So I think taking on a leadership role and just trying to, you know, help my teammates and help the program take a step forward, it's definitely something I want to do. And, taking pride that I'm playing in New Jersey and you know, playing for such a great coach and such a great program,” said Masonius.
She has already connected with her future teammates and she has already played against a lot of the girls at Seton Hall. She calls it: “the basketball world” where you play everybody and see everything as basketball has its own tight-knit community.
Masonius will continue to make her impact on the basketball world with a fresh start as a Seton Hall Pirate for the 2024-2025 season. She looks forward to making her mark in The Big East and offers advice for young girls who have the same dreams and aspirations as her.
“I think at the end of the day, I mean, all you have left is the memories and I know how corny it sounds. But, at the end of the day, it's all about the people you've met, the relationships you've formed and the memories that were made along the way. So just having fun, you know, making most of every single moment- not taking anything for granted,” said Masonius.
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