Illinois Basketball: Former Illini player fills one assistant coach vacancy

Brad Underwood is working quickly to fill the two assistant coach vacancies, as the Illinois basketball program has made their first hire.

In an article earlier this week, I put together five assistant coach options I believe would work best for the Illini. I was close to putting two former Illinois basketball players on the list but decided to just stick with one. The one former player I left off the list was Chester Frazier. Well, on Thursday, the Illini hired Frazier as an assistant coach.

First reported by Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Illinois is bringing Frazier onboard. This is a great hire by Underwood and one that has experience both on the court and on the bench as a coach.

Frazier was a guard for the Illini back in the mid-to-late 2000s. He wasn’t much of a scorer for the program, but his defense is what really set him apart. After his playing career, Frazier went into the coaching game.

In 2012, Frazier would join his former head coach with the Illini, Bruce Weber, at Kansas State. He would spend seven seasons with Weber until moving onto a job as an assistant with Virginia Tech. Frazier has been with the Hokies since 2019.

How will Frazier impact the Illinois basketball program?

I am not sure how much he will help on the offensive end of the court, considering Frazier wasn’t much of an offensive threat during his time with the Illini. But Frazier is going to be more of the fundamental’s teacher.

Frazier was a solid ball-handler and a defensive ace while in Champaign. I expect him to help with the younger guys as they come into the program. Most of the kids coming out of high school are mostly focused on scoring the basketball rather than doing the little things to help a team. I believe Frazier will help build the talented high school scorers into well-rounded, fundamental, players.

Underwood is hiring a coach in Frazier who I believe fits what Illinois is all about. We have one of the best defenses in the country, and that will only improve with Frazier as a coach.