July 6, 2012
VIDEO: Frazier Talks Deron Williams and LeBron James Skills Academy Trips
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; July 6, 2012 - Penn State rising senior Tim Frazier (Houston, Texas) will be among 20 of the top collegiate players in the nation attending the invitation only LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas, July 6-9.
The first-team All-Big Ten guard excelled in earlier trip to the Deron Williams Skills Academy, held June 21-23 in Chicago, to help earn an invitation to the elite James Academy.
"LeBron camp is an incredible opportunity for Tim to compete against the best players in college basketball," Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said. "Tim's hard work and commitment are paying off as he continues to develop into one of the best point guards in the country!"
The nation's top 80 high school players and top 20 college players will convene in Las Vegas for the annual LeBron James Skills Academy. Featuring many of the elite instructors in the game, the skills academy is hosted by three-time NBA MVP LeBron James for four days of intense skill development work and competition in front of hundreds of members of the media and scouts from every NBA team.
Among the nation's top collegiate point guards and one of just two Big Ten guards invited to attend the Williams camp in June, Frazier was a standout while competing amongst guards such as Missouri's Phil Pressey and Michael Dixon, Arkansas' BJ Young, Murray State's Isaiah Canaan and Michigan's Trey Burke.
The guards from the Williams Academy also competed with and against the nation's top collegiate wings attending the Kevin Durant Skills Academy and top posts attending the Amare Stoudemire Skills Academy. Athletes had the opportunity to receive personal instruction from the NBA players along with an elite group of NBA coaches.
The goal of the NIKE Skill Academies, hosted by NBA all-stars James, Williams, Durant and Stoudemire, is to instill the fundamentals into the next generation of top players. Each academy focuses on strength and conditioning and skill development. In addition to the on-court instruction the players also get to hear from the NBA athletes and the coaches on life lessons and what it takes to make it at the next level.
Six Big Ten players, including Frazier, were invited to attend the first round of NIKE Skill Academy events hosted by Williams, Durant and Stoudemire. Among them were Burke, Indiana's Christian Watford, Minnesota's Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe and Ohio State's Jared Sullinger.
Frazier returns for his senior season to lead a Penn State team that returns four players that started at least 16 games last year and its top two scorers in Frazier, who finished second in the Big Ten at 18.8 ppg, and junior guard Jermaine Marshall (Etters, Pa.), who posted 10.8 ppg.
Frazier led the nation accounting for a 57 percent of the Lions' offense last year while leading the Big Ten in assists (6.2) and finishing second in scoring and steals (2.4). He set a Penn State season assist record posting 198 and finished fifth among major conference players with 17 20-point games. The Texas native became the first Lion to lead the Big Ten in assists and just the third the lead the conference in steals in conference games. His 19.6 ppg average in conference play was just 0.4 shy of earning the Big Ten scoring title as he finished the year first in assists (5.6), first in steals (2.4), second in scoring, second in minutes played (38.0) and third in free throw percentage (87.4) in Big Ten Conference games and as just the third Lion to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in the same season
Southern Mississippi transfer D.J. Newbill (Philadelphia, Pa.), who sat out last season after posting 9.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg as a freshman for the Golden Eagles in 2010-11, will join Frazier and Marshall in a strong Nittany Lion backcourt. Penn State will return 70 percent of its scoring, 60 percent of its rebounding and 78 percent of its assists from a team that posted a 12-20 mark in Chambers' first season.
For all the latest information, notes, pictures and related links on Penn State basketball follow Associate Athletic Communications Director Brian Siegrist on Twitter (@PSUSTRETCH) and check GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatebasketball.
-NITTANY LIONS-