Atwater’s Mazon to play basketball in Australia

When Heaven Mazon found out she was headed to Australia this summer to play basketball, she gave her mom the biggest hug she could.

Mazon, who will be a senior at Atwater High School, was selected to the 2015 Pacific Conference California State Girls Basketball Team by Down Under Sports, which organizes athletic events for teams from the United States to play in Australia. Mazon was selected for one of three teams from the Pacific Conference.

The biggest hurdle was raising the nearly $10,000 it would cost to send Mazon and her mother, Mary Ann Contreras. Through fundraising, they were able to raise about half the money. Contreras took out a loan to cover the rest.

“When she got the invitation in April, I told her one way or another, we’ll make this happen for you,” Contreras said. “I was a little worried when the cutoff day approached. I didn’t want my kid to think something isn’t possible if you work hard. I was able to take out a loan to pay the rest. This will be an amazing experience, and it will help her prepare for college, playing with different people from different backgrounds.”

Mazon, who turns 17 this week, has started for the Atwater varsity the past two years. She averaged 10.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season.

“I think this is going to be great for her,” Atwater coach J.R. Davis said. “She’s going to get to play with new people with talent all over the United States. She talks about it all the time. She’s super excited.”

To help raise money, Contreras put together a bus trip to Black Oak Casino. The Atwater girls basketball team also held a pancake breakfast at Applebee’s to help Mazon pay for the trip.

Mazon and Contreras have also received donations from friends, family and local businesses.

“I’m truly blessed to be able to do this,” Mazon said. “This is going to be a really good experience. I’m glad my mom is going to go with me and share the experience. She knows how much basketball means to me.”

Even when it became clear it was going to be hard to raise all $10,000 to send her and her daughter, Contreras said there was no way she was sending her daughter on this trip alone.

“I’m not sending my 17-year-old daughter to another country alone,” Contreras said. “I’ve seen the movie ‘Taken.’ She’s watched ‘Taken.’ She wasn’t going alone.”

The trip begins July 13 with a flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia. It’s a nine-day stay with seven days devoted to basketball and two days to sightseeing.

Mazon can’t believe her mom made the trip happen.

“I know sometimes being a kid, I don’t show my appreciation for my mom like I should,” Mazon said. “She’s a single mom. She works all day and still is able to drive me and my brothers and sisters to practices. It means a lot she was able to do this, and I’m glad she’s going to share it with me.”

Contreras’ reward was seeing her daughter’s face when she found out she was going.

“It was priceless,” Contreras said. “For me, as a mom, to be able to do something like that ... when I told her she was going to Australia, her eyes were as big as half dollars. She was like, ‘Really, really, mom? We’re going to Australia?’

“She wrapped her arms around me and her eyes were watering.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Atwater’s Mazon to play basketball in Australia."