K-State Basketball: Weber Officially Hires Frazier To Fill Out Coaching Staff
By kstatesports
K-STATE SPORTS INFORMATION
May 29, 2012
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber added yet another former player to his coaching staff on Tuesday with the addition of former Illinois standout Chester Frazier as an assistant coach.
Frazier joins fellow assistant coaches Chris Lowery and Alvin Brooks III, director of men’s basketball operations Brad Korn and strength and conditioning coach Jimmy Price on Weber’s coaching staff.
“I’m really excited about the addition of Chester to the staff,” said Weber. “He’s another former player of mine who I think is going to be an outstanding coach. He’s sort of in the same mold as (current Vanderbilt head coach) Kevin Stallings and (Purdue head coach) Matt Painter, where I always knew he was going to be a coach. Chester is young (26) and has ties to the East Coast (Baltimore), which were goals for my final assistant spot. He’s a real student of the game and someone who I think will be able to develop strong relationships with our players.”
Frazier comes to K-State after playing professionally for two years in Germany, first for Goettingen (2009-10) and then for S. Oliver Baskets Wuerzburg Basketball Club (2011-12).
As the starting point guard for head coach John Patrick, Frazier helped Wuerzburg to a 20-14 overall record and trip to the semifinals of the German Bundesliga playoffs. He averaged 7.7 points on 37.7 percent shooting, including 28.9 percent from 3-point range, with 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 24.4 minutes per game. He ranked first on the team in assists, while he was second in steals and fourth in both minutes and rebounds. He was one of seven former college players on the Wuerzburg roster, including Chris Kramer (Purdue), Ricky Harris (Massachusetts), Ben Jacobson (Northern Iowa) and Ivan Elliott (UC Santa Barbara).
Frazier helped Goettingen to the 2010 EuroChallenge title, averaging 20.4 minutes in 31 games played. He averaged 5.9 points on 50.6 percent shooting, including 34.2 percent from 3-point range, with 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. In helping Goettingen to the EuroChallenge title, he averaged 3.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He played along a number of former college players with Goettingen, including Dwayne Anderson (Villanova), Jason Boone (NYU), Chris Oliver (Radford) and Taylor Rochestie (Washington State).
“I am incredibly excited to become a part of the Kansas State family,” said Frazier. “Coaching is my passion and I am looking forward to getting to work and to help build a winning culture here at K-State, along with the rest of the staff.”
Prior to his stint in Germany, Frazier served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for Weber at Illinois from 2010-11. He helped the Fighting Illini to a 20-win season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2010-11. He resigned midway through his second year to resume his playing career in Germany.
Frazier was a four-year lettermen and two-time captain for the Fighting Illini from 2005-09, playing all four seasons for Weber. Known for being a hard-nose point guard, he helped Illinois to 89 wins, including three 20-win seasons, and three trips to the NCAA Tournament during his career. He played 125 games with 88 starts in his career, averaging 4.9 points on 35.9 percent shooting with 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.5 minutes per game. Frazier still ranks seventh all-time at Illinois in career assists (484) and ninth in career assists per game (3.9 apg.). He ranks just outside the Top 10 in minutes played (3,566).
As a senior, Frazier led Illinois to 24 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008-09. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten as well as Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors and was selected as the team most valuable player. He led the Big Ten in assists (5.3 apg.) and held a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio as a senior. He also averaged 5.7 points on 44.8 percent shooting and was one of the best rebounding point guards nationally, averaging 4.8 per game. He was also named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team as a sophomore in 2006-07.
Frazier prepped for head coach Herman Harried at Lake Clifton-Eastern High School in Baltimore, where he earned first team All-Baltimore City/County honors and second team All-Metro accolades by the Baltimore Sun as a senior. He averaged 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals in 2003-04. He also spent one season at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Fitchburg, Mass., averaging 16 points and seven assists in 2004-05.
A native of Baltimore, Md., Frazier, 26, earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation management from Illinois in 2009. He also took courses towards a master’s degree in educational policy studies from Illinois.