University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Player Profile - Chester Frazier

Player Profile: Chester Frazier
Position: Guard
Height: 6'2"
Class: Senior
Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Player Summary

Frazier is one of my favorite Illini. He plays his heart out, plays through injury, and demonstrates leadership on the court. He's a gamer who's a great rebounder and defender for a guard. He will give you everything he's got. But, he also has some serious deficiencies in his game. For a point guard, his decision-making and shooting are far below par. His game seemed to regress in his junior year. In his senior season, he may very well see a diminished role. This will be especially true when Kentucky transfer Alex Legion joins the team in December. He's had the most criticized Illini career that I can remember in recent history.

Statistics for '07-'08 Basketball Season

Minutes: 33.4
Points: 4.9
Rebounds: 4.9
Assists: 3.6
Steals: 0.8
Blocks: 0.1

Player Strengths

Frazier has had a lot of pressure on him throughout his career with the Illini. He's also had to deal with what seems like constant injuries. Yet, when the team needs him, he always plays his butt off. He's a great defender and rebounder.

Player Weaknesses

Frazier has never been a threat on the offensive end. He is not a good shooter and he appears to be out of control on the fast break. He is a terrible free-throw shooter and seems to choke at times. His decision-making is below average for a point guard and he lets his emotions get the better of him sometimes. I don't mean to diminish his mental strength, because it has to be tough when you have so much pressure on you. All Illini fans remember the game against Purdue in Frazier's sophomore season when the Boilermakers dared Frazier to take jump shots.

Player Projections

With the addition of Alex Legion at mid-year and Jamar Smith, Frazier may have a hard time getting minutes. He appears to be a favorite of Coach Weber's due to his effort, grit and defense. But, I just don't know if he's better than the other guards that the team will have next season. If Frazier does get minutes, it will be due to his defense, rebounding and leadership, all of which the Illini will be lacking. His role on a good team might be as a defensive stopper and backup combination guard. Even then, the numbers game with Trent Meacham, Jamar Smith, Demetri McCamey, Alex Legion, and Calvin Brock may force his minutes down. Again, Frazier is a favorite of mine, but I just don't know how good the Illini can be this year if he's getting anywhere near the minutes he's put up the last two years.

Projected Statistics for Illini '08-'09 Basketball Season

Minutes: 12.5
Points: 3.0
Rebounds: 2.5
Assists: 2.0
Steals: 0.5
Blocks: 0.0

Sources:
www.espn.com
illinois.scout.com/