Who We Are
The Mission
to foster the growth and development of athletes and teams by emphasizing the importance of fundamentals, cultivating mental toughness, enhancing basketball IQ, and instilling a deep love for the game. through dedicated training, mentorship, and a supportive environment, we aim to empower each player to reach their full potential both on and off the court.
The Directors
Coach Mason and his family are long-term residents of the state of Iowa and currently reside in West Des Moines. Coach Mason’s primary focus is his family and giving back to the community. He has been actively involved in directing and coaching AAU youth and high school basketball for the past 18 years, including coaching at Des Moines East High School, founding the Iowa Elite basketball program, and growing the Ignit basketball Program.
Coach Mason started his high school athletic career at Des Moines Roosevelt where he was a successful multi-sport 4 year varsity player. He received multiple All-State and All-Conference recognitions, and was honored to be selected to participate in the Iowa Shrine Bowl All-Star Football Classic in 1993.
After high school, Coach Mason attended Iowa Central Community College where he was ranked as high as 6th in the nation as a running back, while also participating in basketball his freshman year. Due to his success at the Community College level, he was offered multiple scholarship opportunities to attend and play football at Kansas State, the University of Hawaii, Southeast Missouri State, and Ole Miss. He chose to attend Southeast Missouri State, and shortly after signing with them, his college career unfortunately ended quickly as he tore his ACL.
After this life-changing event, he made the tough decision to move back home to Iowa and start his family and coaching career. As an entrepreneur, he has worked in multiple industries, but never lost his love of competition and athletics. He was able to become the assistant varsity boys basketball coach at Des Moines North High School, then furthered his experiences by taking coaching positions with West Des Moines Valley as varsity football assistant and sophomore head basketball coach, and also with the WDMLPYFL football league as a head coach.
Iowa Phenom Directors
Larry Mason and Jeff Daye
In 2020, he became Head Basketball Coach at Des Moines East High school and in the 2022-23 season, led them to their best record in 16 seasons. In 2023, he resigned from this position to be able to commit more time to his family and helping to develop and teach the youth of today to be the leaders we will need in the future.
Coach Daye and his family are lifelong residents of the state of Iowa and currently resides in West Des Moines. Coach Daye enjoys spending time with his family (wife Lindsey, daughter Jada, and son Quinton), and staying active in the community helping to support multiple youth athletic programs. Prior to Phenom, he served as both a head coach and director with the Iowa Elite and Ignit basketball programs.
Coach Daye was an athlete himself in high school, starting his high school career at Norwalk, where he played both football and basketball and was recognized as Honorable Mention All-Conference in both sports.
Coach Daye's playing career ended due to a knee injury following his senior year of high school, so his goals changed from playing sports to focusing on school and starting his career in insurance. While doing this, he continued to help mentor and coach athletes in the IDYFL and in AAU. He currently works for American National Insurance.
