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‘BTPowerhouse 25’ - No. 12 Trent Frazier

BTPowerhouse's staff counts down the best players in the Big Ten heading into the 2021-’22 season.

By Kevin Knight (SpartyOnHuskers)
Loyola Chicago v Illinois Photo by Joe Robbins/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

In the months leading up to the 2021-’22 college basketball season, BTPowerhouse will be releasing a series called the ‘BTPowerhouse 25,’ which features the Top 25 players in the Big Ten as voted by members of the staff. All players set to be on Big Ten rosters for next season were eligible during the staff vote with their top selection receiving 25 points and their 25th and final selection receiving 1 point.

Today's edition will take a brief look at Trent Frazier of the Illinois Fighting Illini, who came in tied at No. 12 in the rankings. The Illini are hoping to continue the program’s heights reached last year in what most fans consider was a regular season title for the Illini, but the league only counts as a conference tournament title rather than both. Frazier will be a vital player for the team in that regard.

'BTPowerhouse 25' - No. 12 Trent Frazier:

  • Eligibility: Super Senior
  • Career Totals: 126 games, 3,805 minutes, 1,434 points, 285 rebounds, 326 assists, 166 steals
  • 2020-’21 Averages: 33.7 MPG, 10.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, 2.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG
  • Positional Role: Guard

Illini fans in recent years have come to rely on Trent Frazier as a reliable third scorer behind Dosunmu and Cockburn. Frazier earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team and honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season, but fans are likely to expect more of him this year if the Illini are to remain near the top of league standings. After initially declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft and choosing to instead return for a “super senior” season thanks to Covid rules, he may just manage that.

-Player Strengths

Frazier is a fantastic shooter from deep. As a sophomore before Dosunmu arrived on campus, he hit a career high 40.6 percent from deep, and did so while shooting a career high 6.2 attempts per game. His shooting has fallen off compared to that the prior two seasons, but he is certainly capable of making it hurt from behind the arc for opponents.

Frazier is also a lock down defender on the other end. He can shut down the opponents guard, whoever he is assigned to, and cause serious trouble. In Brad Underwood’s defensive schemes, that can be highly important for a player to ensure minimal help is needed. Frazier also is a quality ball handler when the need arises and can manage point if needed.

-Areas for Improvement

Frazier, as mentioned above, has fallen off in scoring from his sophomore season. While that is for obvious reasons as Cockburn and Dosunmu took on a larger role on offense for the Illini, it is still important for both Frazier and Illinois that he return to his sophomore peak. He will be more of the go to scorer for Illinois again, and if the team is to succeed this season then he will need to fill the scoring void left like he did as a sophomore.

If Frazier hopes to advance to the NBA next season, he will also need to more reliably be able to make a play to the rim. He started to develop more of an ability to show that last season, but if he can demonstrate it on a consistent basis then he is likely to have success getting into the next level with a more rounded game.

-Player Projection

Frazier should be starting for a fifth straight season in Champaign. He will likely break a number of records having had four full seasons already, and will cause plenty of headaches for opponents.

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'BTPowerhouse 25' Rankings:

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