Peoria area's top high school basketball player finds college home at small school in Minnesota

The Peoria area's top player from 2023 has found his college home.

Metamora rising senior Tyler Mason has committed to play at Winona State, he announced Sunday on his social media after a visit to the NCAA Division II school in Minnesota.

Mason was named the 2023 Journal Star boys basketball player of the year after he led Metamora to a 34-2 record and the Class 3A state championship.

The 6-foot-2 point guard led the Redbirds in points (15.0), rebounds (5.1), assists (4.1) and steals (2.0) as the top-ranked team in Class 3A ended its season on a 32-game win streak.

Winona State is a public school with about 9,000 students located in Winona, Minnesota — about 120 miles southeast of Minneapolis on the Mississippi River, near the border with Wisconsin.

The Warriors are led by Todd Eisner, a ninth-year coach who went 15-12 last season and competes in the Northern Sun Conference. The school has 10 NCAA Division II tournament appearances, winning titles in 2006 and '08. It last made the tournament in 2014.

Mason scored 16 points with six rebounds in the 46-42 overtime title game win over Chicago Simeon. He was named all-Mid-Illini Conference first team, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association third-team all-state and honorable mention all-state by The Associated Press.

Mason this season will be joined in Metamora by Iowa recruit Cooper Koch, a transfer from Peoria Notre Dame.

Mason and Koch will likely be joined in the lineup by returning starter and 6-foot-8 senior forward Luke Hopp to go with key reserves and potential starters Mathew Zobrist, a 6-foot-5 junior guard, and Nick Walker, a 6-foot-4 senior guard.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Metamora basketball all-stater Tyler Mason signs with Winona State