Frazier, Wellington are on cusp of history

WELLINGTON — It was just over two years ago Trent Frazier stood at the free-throw line with less than a second to play in the state championship.

Facing Hagerty in the Class 8A title game, the Wellington point guard had just drawn a foul with .40 on the clock and the game tied 56-56. Before a packed crowd at the Lakeland Center, the sophomore stepped to the line with an opportunity to deliver the Wolverines their first state championship in program history. No pressure, right? Unfazed, Frazier sank the winning shot.

Two years later, the Wolverines are just two wins away from hoisting the Florida Class 9A trophy. A victory would cement Frazier’s place among the most accomplished players Palm Beach County has ever seen.

“We’ve had a lot of good players from Palm Beach,” Wellington coach Matt Colin said. “But he’s definitely in the conversation of all-time greats to come out of Palm Beach County.”

After earning All-State second-team honors as a sophomore, the Illinois signee took his game to another level in each of the next two years. As a junior, Frazier averaged 21.3 points and 6.3 assists and led the Wolverines to the regional finals, where they suffered a double-overtime defeat to eventual state champion Coral Springs. He later earned All-State first-team honors and was named Sun Sentinel Player of the Year.

This season Frazier — ranked the 107th best prospect in the nation by 247Sports.com — has been nearly unstoppable, averaging 27.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists for Wellington, which is 27-3 heading into its 9A semifinal today against Osceola (28-2).

“I think I’ve come a long way,” Frazier said. “I think the coaching staff did a phenomenal job of getting me better as a person, student and an athlete both on and off the court.”

So where does Frazier stack up all-time in Palm Beach County?

Another championship would certainly put him in the mix near the top with former stars like Jackie Manuel, Eddie Shannon, Derek Harper and Otis Thorpe.

An electric 6-foot-5 guard, Manuel was one of the most dominant players to come out of the area, leading Cardinal Newman to state championships in 1999 and 2000. One of the country’s top prospects, Manuel signed with North Carolina, where he was a part of the Tar Heels’ 2005 national championship team.

Another former Newman star in the mix is Eddie Shannon, who led the Crusaders to the state final in 1994 before signing with the University of Florida.

Harper and Thorpe are two of the county’s most noteworthy basketball talents — both were NBA firstround draft picks and spent 16 and 17 seasons in the league, respectively. In high school, Harper led West Palm Beach’s now-defunct North Shore to a state final in 1978 and a championship in 1980. He and Frazier will share a connection as Illini players as well. Thorpe starred at Lake Worth and later won an NBA title with the Houston Rockets.

Lake Worth coach Murray Smith, who coached both Manuel and Shannon at Cardinal Newman and has coached Palm Beach County basketball for the past 28 seasons, thinks praise for Frazier is justified.

“He deserves to be talked about in that category,” Smith said. “He can shoot it. He can pass it. He can do a little bit of everything.”

“When you talk about those names, that’s pretty high company. There’s not a ton of them.”