02.17.04:A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
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Harvey Mason, defending a Purdue player in 1989, has risen above the
memory of two misses at the free-throw line against Stanford.
Greg Hansen
My enduring image of Harvey Mason came on deadline late one January
night in 1989 at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion.
Mason, then a junior guard coming off a serious knee problem, was at
the foul line with two shots and a chance to send the game into
overtime. The pressure was amplified because Arizona was bidding to be
the nation’s No. 1 team. It was madness. The floor was bouncing; the
noise so great you could not carry on a conversation.
He missed.
In the locker room, Mason was so crushed that I looked away. I cannot
stand it when a college basketball game takes such a toll, if only for
a few days. You could not have told Mason then that his life would soar
past a missed foul shot at Stanford.
Here’s how life has turned out for Mason: he was part of Justin
Timberlake’s Grammy-winning “Cry Me a River” performance last week.
Mason, and his partner Damon Thomas, produced Timberlake’s smash album
“Justified.”
Their firm, Underdog Productions, in October signed a lucrative
production deal with music legend Clive Davis, who was profiled last
week on “60 Minutes.”
Mason also produced Ruben Studdard’s hit single “Sorry 2004” and is in
the studio currently producing a reunion album with the Backstreet
Boys. He also has worked recently with Tyrese, Babyface and Pink.
“We’re not trying to be the coolest,” Mason recently told reporters.
“We’re at the stage of our career where we can make music widely heard.
We want our music to be the star.”
That missed free throw at Stanford, resulting in Arizona’s only loss
during a 17-1 Pac-10 season, has become inconsequential.
Mason turned out to be the real winner.