Chester Frazier was thinking about Dee Brown when he decided to come to Illinois from Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass.
“My thought was that Dee was leaving,” Frazier said, remembering the letter of intent he signed in the fall of 2004 when Brown was a junior at Illinois. “I thought he would go high in the [2005 NBA] draft. I thought I could go right in and play.”
But after fracturing his right foot in the pre-draft camp, Brown decided to return and he won the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s top point guard.
Frazier realized he couldn’t beat out Brown so he sought to bring out the best in him.
“I tried to be physical and get him back in game shape,” Frazier said. “Going up against him was a challenge every day. I knew he would help me get better and I would help him get better. I learned from him. He was a very good mentor. Off the court he was cool–we were always talking. It worked out for the best.”
During preseason pickup games, Frazier earned Brown’s respect.
“Fans are going to love him when they see him,” Brown predicted before last season. “He’s a player.”
After a campaign as Brown’s understudy, Frazier has proved the predictions true.
Going into Friday night’s game against Xavier in Cincinnati, Frazier has seven more assists and the same number of steals and turnovers Brown had at the same point last season. His 9.1 scoring average suffers when compared with Brown’s 14.2, but his 67 rebounds are 27 more than his predecessor’s total.
Not only do they resemble one another physically and on paper, Frazier also can identify with Brown’s foot problems. Playing through pain has become a way of life. Frazier has played several games with a severe painful sprain commonly known as turf toe. Now, the right big toe appears to be healing, but blisters and calluses on the foot are giving him more misery. Games, practices and therapy sessions in the training room turn into daily torture sessions.
“If you knew what he has gone through, you would be amazed,” coach Bruce Weber said. “His foot is a mess. I can’t say enough about him. We ask a lot of Chester.”
In theory, Weber doesn’t need the sophomore point guard to score the way Brown did. But, on two occasions with the game hanging in the balance, Frazier made the shots the Illini needed.
With 18 seconds left in a semifinal game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge at the Sears Centre, his driving layup gave the Illini a 51-49 victory over Miami of Ohio. And in their last game, against Idaho State on Dec. 21, he sank three shots from three-point territory and punctuated one of them with a free throw to help the Illini surmount a six-point second-half deficit and win 71-60.
“I worked on my jump shot all summer,” Frazier said. “I worked on getting to know the other guys better, knowing what they can do well and making better decisions. I try to get my teammates the ball as much as possible.
“I don’t hunt shots, but when we need a big shot I’ll be there to take it whether it’s a three-point shot or a layup.
And the tenacious defense that Frazier played in the pickup games against Brown has been a constant in all 41 games of an injury-marred collegiate career that saw him miss five games last December because of a torn thigh muscle he suffered against Xavier.
Halfway through his sophomore year Frazier has emerged as a team leader. Not the charismatic vocal leader Brown was, Frazier leads by example.
“Chester has a tremendous heart,” center Shaun Pruitt said. “He is the heart of our team.”
Match point
Illinois sophomore Chester Frazier’s numbers for the first 14 games this season compare favorably with those of predecessor Dee Brown, who was the nation’s best point guard last season.
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BROWN* CATEGORY FRAZIER
199 (14.2) Points 128 (9.1)
79 (5.6) Assists 86 (6.1)
41 (2.9) Turnovers 41 (2.9)
22 (1.5) Steals 22 (1.5)
40 (2.8) Rebounds 67 (4.8)
*–Brown’s first 14 games of 2005-06
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nmilbert@tribune.com
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