North Melbourne keen to lure Cox according to Brad Scott.
“He’s really impressive. He’s a terrific young man given the limited exposure we’ve had to him so far. He’s very intelligent and I think he shows great aptitude towards AFL footy,” Scott told NMFC.com.au.
“He moves really, particularly for someone of his size, and I think he’s got a great opportunity to make something of an AFL career.”
Cox was invited to Arden Street on Wednesday for a brief training session and tour of the facilities.
“It was crazy. I’ve never been to Australia so this whole thing came out of nowhere, and six weeks I’d never even heard of the AFL,” he said.
“It was great. The staff and everybody here was fantastic. Just walking around there’s some high-tech stuff here and everything you need to progress in the sport. It’s a very good facility as far as trying to develop the player, so that’s exactly what I am trying to look at.
“The coaches were great. We were out there practicing and they were giving me tidbits about what to do, what not to do, this or that. It’s obviously something you’ve got to take into account, when you are a new kid coming here out with a blank slate and don’t know a ton about the sport, it’s great to have guys out there helping you out and through the ranks.”
PRESS PLAY above for vision of Mason Cox's visit to Arden Street | YouTube
After seeing the facility, Cox enjoyed dinner with the leadership group and had spent time with fellow American Eric Wallace.
“Eric has helped me out today. It’s good to have support from guys who have done it before and experienced guys and what to expect when coming over here,” Cox said.
“He’s a great kid, I was talking to him today and he was kind of giving me tips and things, asking where he’s living and how’s he enjoying it out here, and he said he liked it. It’s great to know that other people have done and it’s definitely doable.”
Cox’s pure athleticism is his biggest draw card. While being able to look Fremantle Aaron Sandilands in the eye, he possesses rare agility and coordination for someone of his stature.
“Most guys that are seven-foot tall or something like that, they are not very nimble and not very quick, but playing soccer and stuff like that has helped my footwork, as far as speed and agility and stuff like that,” he commented.
“It takes a lot of different aspects from different sports I’ve done growing up. A lot of things come naturally, a lot of things I obviously need more work on. It’s just one of things on I feel comfortable going out there and doing certain things they are asking me, so it’s a level of comfort I feel fine with.”
North was quick to register its interest in Cox after attending the US combine.
“They spoke to me before they came back, don’t worry about that,” Scott said.
“They were on the phone straight away really excited by what they’d seen in terms of not just his physical attributes, but he’s a really intelligent guy and I think that’s really important that he shows the aptitude that’s required, because clearly he’s very raw and will require a lot of coaching and we really look closely at those guys who show the aptitude towards being coachable.”
Cox has tried his hand at Soccer and Basketball – both sports giving him some handy attributes according to the coach.
“The hand-eye coordination’s really important, the agility at ground level is really important and he’s shown that. It’s not too often you see a guy of 211 centimetres get down and get his hands dirty on the ground.”
With the likes of Collingwood, Port Adelaide, Richmond and Fremantle also in the race to secure his services, Cox will have to spend some time pondering which club he prefers. After his upcoming holiday in Europe, he’ll have to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.
“Things don’t come across your table like this very often, and I’ve always have that degree, but I don’t think anyone’s going to come knocking on my door to play AFL when I’m 40 years old.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and it’s going to be tough to pass up.”
