CHAMPAIGN — Trent Frazier soaked up every ounce of the experience of the NCAA tournament last month.
It wasn’t the traditional March Madness experience, of course. Not living in the NCAA bubble.
But Frazier was going to enjoy his time in Indianapolis. Mostly because he knew the feeling of having that experience snatched away a year prior. Also because it was possibly going to be his last chance.
Every college basketball player was granted a bonus year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This season didn’t count against them.
Frazier put off any discussion of a fifth year at Illinois during the season. Friday evening’s announcement that he would enter the 2021 NBA draft didn’t really answer the question, either. The 22-year-old Frazier plans to hire an NCAA-approved agent to maintain his eligibility to potentially return to the Illini for one more season under coach Brad Underwood.
“First of all, I want to thank the man above,” Frazier wrote in a note posted to social media. “Without Him, I wouldn’t be where I am at today. Thank you to all my family and closest friends that’s been with me since day one helping me get to this point. Thank you to Coach Underwood and the entire staff for pushing me on and off the court to be the best player and person I can be.
“To my teammates, my brothers, and all of Illini Nation, I want to say thank you for being part of this special journey. We have created memories that will last forever. You guys took me in and helped me grow into the person that I am today. The support you guys have given me has been overwhelming. You have made these four years incredible and so special. I will be an Illini forever!!!”
Frazier was one of the cornerstone pieces of Illinois’ rebuild under Underwood the past four seasons.
Recruited by former coach John Groce, the Wellington, Fla., native stuck with the Illini after the coaching change. He has started 108 of 126 games in four years, beginning his Illini career as a Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection and earning Big Ten All-Defensive Team and honorable mention All-Big Ten honors this past season. His 1,434 career points ranks 19th in program history and his 247 career three-pointers are fourth.
“It’s just a blessing and honor to be here four years,” Frazier said before what could still stand as his final game at State Farm Center in late February. “It’s been a long journey, obviously. Coming in and starting where we were at and now to this point, it’s incredible.”
Illinois posted a 14-18 record in Frazier’s freshman season and finished in the bottom four of the Big Ten. His sophomore season was more of the same — a 12-21 record and another bottom-four conference finish.
The script flipped in 2019-20. Frazier continued to play a key role in the Illinois backcourt and helped the team to what would have been his first NCAA tournament appearance had the COVID-19 pandemic not canceled everything more than a year ago.
Frazier and Illinois built on that momentum, however, this past season. The Illini won the Big Ten tournament title, climbed to No. 2 in the final Associated Press Top 25 of the season and earned a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament.
Frazier started all 31 games in 2020-21 and averaged 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists while putting up a 40/36/83 shooting slash. He came on strong late in the season, including a 22-point performance in the Illini’s key road win at Michigan to start the month of March, and he was the first to climb the ladder to snip a piece of net following the Big Ten tournament championship win.
“To go out there every night and compete and battle to get this program back on the map and to be a part of it is very special,” Frazier said. “It’s an honor to be here four years and be a part of the change me and (fellow senior guard Da’Monte Williams) created from day one with Coach Underwood.”
Frazier’s decision could continue what might wind up a complete remake of Illinois’ roster ahead of the 2021-22 season. Both junior guard Ayo Dosunmu and junior forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili announced this week they were also declaring for the 2021 NBA draft.
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