CHAMPAIGN — Chester Frazier didn’t have to be sold on Illinois when he considered leaving Virginia Tech for a new coaching opportunity at his alma mater.
The former Illini guard knew all he needed to about Champaign — even if he barely recognized Green Street anymore.
The same was true for Frazier’s knowledge of what the program means both on the micro level to the fan base and more macro level in the grand scheme of all things college basketball.
A little unfinished business from his four seasons at Illinois didn’t hurt either as he considered his next career move.
It’s a story the 35-year-old shares with people all the time.
“I didn’t win a Big Ten championship when I was here, and that haunts me, man, because I know I sacrificed a lot to play at the University of Illinois,” Frazier said Tuesday afternoon in his first public comments after Illinois coach Brad Underwood hired him as his newest assistant coach last Thursday. “I played hard every night, and that includes practice. A lot of times I played hurt, but I didn’t win a Big Ten championship. I have two Big 12 championships and an Elite Eight run at Kansas State, but nothing would make me happier than winning a Big Ten championship at Illinois.”
The sell for Frazier as he considered jumping from the Hokies to the Illini was more about getting to know Underwood. Frazier had every intention to return for another season at Virginia Tech before Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman leaving Illinois for Kentucky created a path back home, as it were.
That mean Frazier had to do what he called his “due diligence” and find out more about Underwood. The consensus was the same.
Good dude to work for and good coach. Wouldn’t micromanage and lets his assistants coach.
“It was hard to say ‘no,’” Frazier said. “All he had to sell me on was him, and not really sell. I just had to get to know him a little bit better and build that relationship and start to build that trust. Everything else about this place I love. I love this place. I love this town. This is where I went to school. This is where I met my wife. This place is special.”
Underwood knew a little bit more about Frazier before the two first spoke about the opening on the Illinois staff. Frazier spending seven seasons coaching for Bruce Weber at Kansas State put him on Underwood’s radar simply because that’s Underwood’s alma mater.
Underwood watched Frazier’s rise up the coaching ranks from Kansas State to Virginia Tech — where he quickly became Mike Young’s associate head coach — and saw him put in work in recruiting, too, as their paths crossed at various events.
“I paid attention very early to him and kind of always watched out of the corner of my eye and watched his involvement with the success (at Kansas State and Virginia Tech),” Underwood said. “Winning has always followed Chester, whether it was the three or four years here they were in the tournament, whether it was the Elite Eight run at Kansas State or the great success they had at Virginia Tech in a very short time. Winning is hard to find. I don’t take that lightly. You start pairing that with his passion, and it was pretty obvious.”
Frazier’s fit back at Illinois on Underwood’s coaching staff only became more obvious as Underwood got to know more about him. Frazier the player — a focus on defense, loads of aggressiveness and passion — would have been a good fit for Underwood, too.
Underwood referenced a rather memorable moment from Frazier’s Illinois career to emphasize that point.
“The half-court handshake with Eric Gordon,” Underwood said of Frazier giving the one-time Illini commit a rather abrupt welcome when Illinois and Indiana met in Champaign on Feb. 7, 2008. “Are you (kidding) me? He blasted that dude. You don’t think that didn’t fit with me? We’re rocking right there now. That’s the vibe when you’re trying to put the right pieces together. You look for guys with that fire and that passion and then combine that with the orange and blue and the love for a university.”
Frazier coached against Underwood when they were both still in the Big 12 during the lone season Underwood coached Oklahoma State. The way those Cowboys’ teams played — with pace to spare compared to Kansas State — stuck with Frazier. So did Oklahoma State’s toughness with Underwood.
Young’s style at Virginia Tech was similar to Weber’s. With Underwood and the Illini, Frazier will get a chance to branch out a bit more scheme-wise.
“This will be new as far as pace, pace, pace,” Frazier said. “Fast. Want to score in the first seven seconds. Want to beat you up the court in transition. Scoring 81 a game. This will be fun.
“This will be another thing to add to my tool belt as a coach as far as style of play goes — heavy ball-screen offense, space and pace. This will be fun for me to learn another style. … Just another style of play I can pick and choose and learn from. When I get my chance to be a head coach, I can bring all these things to the table.”
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Frazier the right fit for Underwood, Illinois | Sports | news-gazette.com - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
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