Nov. 12, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA., Nov. 12, 2008 - Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis received a National Letter of Intent from Houston, Texas native Tim Frazier to play for the Nittany Lions Wednesday on the first day of the NCAA's early signing period which runs through Nov. 19. Frazier is the first of two early commitments Penn State is expected to receive this week.
The 6-2, 160-pound guard out of Strake Jesuit High School in Houston was ranked No. 13 among point-guards in the class of 2009 by ESPN and given an overall grade of 89, which ranks among the top 115, 2009 prospects ranked nationally by ESPN. He was rated a three star recruit by the Rivals national recruiting service.
"We are very excited to have Tim join our program," DeChellis said. "He is a very fast, quick player with tremendous speed in the back court and a good shooter. He possesses the kind of athleticism that Stanley Pringle does. He can get in the lane and find open guys and is a great drive and kick passer and he can score. He is a very good on-the-ball defender and a tremendous athlete and we think he really solidifies our back court for the future."
Frazier averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game last year for Strake and was selected the District 17-5A Defensive Player-of-the-Year after posting 98 steals, an average of three per game. He helped his Strake team to a 27-7 mark while scoring more than 20 points in four games and posting double-digit rebounds in five.
"Tim is the quickest player from baseline to baseline with the basketball that I have ever coached," said Strake Jesuit head coach Wayne Jones. "He has a 35-inch vertical leap and is deceptively strong. But, Tim's greatest asset may be his competitiveness, he never takes a play off and he is always working in practices and games."
Frazier was the second leading scorer on the team behind 6-5 senior forward Joey Brooks who signed to play at Notre Dame. Frazier will be a key player returning to a senior-laden Strake Jesuit squad that will be a contender to win the district title in his senior season. He has scored nearly 550 career points heading into his senior campaign while averaging 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game over his career.
"Frazier is a lightning quick guard who relentlessly attacks the basket," ESPN.com recruiting coordinator Reggie Rankin said on the ESPN site. "He possesses great speed and quickness in transition and can score from either wing or with a mid-range pull up. He has strong hands and quick feet which allow him to keep other guards out of the lane."
Frazier plays on the Houston Elite AAU team that produced current Bradley University players Anthony Thompson, Eddren McCain and Chris Roberts.
"They are getting a point guard that is quick with the basketball that can get everyone involved and make things happen on the offensive end and he's really aggressive on the defensive end of the floor," Rick Nelson, Frazier's Houston Elite coach said on Rivals.com. "He can control the tempo of every game he plays in."
"I decided to be a Nittany Lion because I felt it was a great fit for me," Frazier said. "Penn State has great academics as well as a great basketball team and that's what I was looking for."
Penn State assistant coach Dan Earl headed up the recruitment of Frazier.
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