Introduction
Rienk Johannes Mast (born 19 July 2001) is a Dutch basketball player who currently plays for the Bradley Braves. Standing at 205 cm (6 ft 8 ⁄2 in), Mast usually plays the power forward or center position.
He is a current member of the Dutch national team under-18.
Early career
After playing korfball first as a kid, Mast switched to basketball for the club Celeritas-Donar from Groningen. After a couple of years, he changed teams to RTC Noord where he was coached by Marco van den Berg. As a youngster, Mast received offers for Real Madrid Baloncesto to play in their program.
Professional career
Donar
2017–18: Rookie season
Mast played his first professional seasons for Donar, as he was added to the roster for the 2017–18 season. When Mast played his first game, he was 16 years old. On 1 February 2018, Mast scored 24 points in a NBB Cup game against Racing Beverwijk, which made him the youngest top scorer for Donar in history. In the 2017–18 season, Mast started in 3 of the 29 games he played for Donar and averaged 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in the Dutch Basketball League. He played two games in the continental fourth-tier FIBA Europe Cup competition.
2018–19: Breakthrough season
In the 2018–19 season, Mast had his breakthrough season. Because of personnel changes within Donar and American players leaving, Mast was given a place in the starting five from January. On 12 January, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 101–67 win against BAL Weert. In April 2019, he was awarded the DBL MVP Under 23 award, as well as the DBL Most Improved Player award.
Bradley
On 21 January 2019, it was announced that Mast committed to Bradley University, where he will play for the Braves.
International career
Youth teams
In 2017, Mast played for the under-16 and the under-18 Netherlands national basketball team. He played at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Division B, where he reached the final and made the tournament All-Star Team. Mast averaged 11.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
In 2018, Mast won the 2018 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B while being the captain of the Dutch under-18 team. On January 21, he committed to play for the Bradley Braves in NCAA.
Senior team
On November 16, 2018, Mast was selected by head coach Toon van Helfteren to be a part of the Netherlands senior team for the first time. On November 29, 2018, Mast made his debut for the Netherlands in a 78–105 loss to Poland.
Honors
Club
- Dutch Basketball League (1):
- 2017–18
- Dutch Cup (1):
- 2017–18
Individual awards
- DBL MVP Under 23: 2019
- DBL Most Improved Player: 2019
- DBL All-Rookie Team: 2018
- 2017 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Division B All-Star Team: 2017