In the Big Ten, Penn State is dead last in attendance. The Nittany Lions average about 7,000 but if you ever watched one of their home games on television, you’ll see lots of empty seats in the lower bowl; to the point that it looks like they have 700 fans. And they’re missing out too! And a bonafide NBA draft prospect in point guard Tim Frazier. Well, we’re here to make sure he toils in college basketball obscurity no more.
In a preview of our next NBA draft stock report:
“We used to jokingly call Penn State the “Talor Battles” last season, this year it is getting to the point where we should call them the “Tim Fraziers.” The junior finished one assist shy of a triple-double Saturday versus Nebraska and is averaging 21.5 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds over his past four games. His turnover number is bloated (3.9 per game) since he handles the ball pretty much all the time for PSU and he needs to improve his outside shooting, but Frazier could be an early second round sleeper candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft.”
Tim Frazier posted 23 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals Saturday as the 6-1 guard nearly posted the first triple-double for a Nittany Lion since 1998 in helping Penn State (11-15; 3-10 Big Ten) cruise to a 67-51 victory over Nebraska (11-13; 3-10)
“He’s done it all year in ways that, you know, unfortunately we can’t even talk about – in the locker room, his work ethic,” Penn State coach Patrick Chambers said of Frazier who posted his fifth double-double of the season. “I know he can give us more. I know how much better he can get. Which is scary. He’s only going to continue to get better, because he’s humble and he’s hungry. His mom has done a great job with him.”
Tim Frazier achieved his 5th double-double the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds. It marked the sixth double-double of his career tying him with Talor Battle (2008-2011) for the most ever by a Penn State guard. He currently leads the Lions in both scoring and rebounding. Pretty impressive when a point guard leads the team in boards.
Or it’s an indictment of the team’s front line. Talor Battle was obviously the much more celebrated college player, but Frazier seems to be the one with “league” potential, why was Battle only suited for college basketball, and not the pros? Battle was just undersized, and played a lot like a two at times, not a one. Frazier is taller, and has a game more suited to the one.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
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