The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
COUGARS’ FRAZIER CONTINUES TO RISE
Lake Catholic added its fifth 1,000-point scorer to program history on Feb. 5. As part of his 30-point effort in a 76-67 victory against Cornerstone Christian, junior guard Luke Frazier joined classmate Luka Eller among Cougars to attain the milestone.
The achievement became an apparent matter of when, not if, soon after Frazier began playing at Lake Catholic two years ago. Now a 6-foot-3 junior, the left-handed guard has started for coach Matt Moran since he stepped on campus as a freshman. Frazier’s accomplishment is meaningful in that he also reached a goal he set for himself years ago.
“It’s just a lot,” Frazier said. “It’s something I looked forward to doing all of high school and I finally got it.”
Frazier ranks second on the team in scoring this season at 19.7 points per game. He’s also second on the team in assists, averaging 3.4 per game, and steals with 2.2 per game.
Frazier’s production has steadily increased each season. He scored 13.1 points per game and made 37 3-pointers during his freshman season. As a sophomore, Frazier averaged 15.8 points per game and ranked among the area’s leaders with 40 3-pointers.
Each year, too, Frazier and Eller receive increased defensive attention. Frazier’s noticed opponents playing more physically against Eller in the post and trying to deny him as much as possible on the perimeter.
“We just set a lot of screens,” Frazier said. “And then, when I’m getting face-guarded, it kind of motivates me to go harder and to actually try to score more.”
Nine Division I schools have offered Frazier scholarships midway through his junior year. He recently added one from Cleveland State, joining offers from Wright State, Youngstown State, Northern Kentucky, Ohio, Bowling Green, Akron, Kent State and Toledo.
Eller’s led the team in scoring the past three seasons. The 6-foot-9 forward currently averages a double-double of 24.8 points, third-best in the area, and 10 rebounds per game. Yet, Frazier doesn’t feel overshadowed by his teammate.
Off the court, Frazier and Eller are members of the same friend group. On it, each brings different aspects of the game. Eller is a force around the basket, while Frazier scores from the perimeter and is able to bring people to their feet with his acrobatic ability at the rim.
“I just try to put energy on the floor,” Frazier said. “I know Luka puts up bigger numbers than me, it’s not really a big deal. We’re teammates, I want him do that, you know what I mean? It’s just like, I feel like the way I play can get people excited, especially when I’m dunking, making good moves, stuff like that.”
Frazier and Eller led the Cougars to the Ashtabula District title as freshmen before Lake Catholic fell to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, the eventual Division II state champion, in a regional semifinal. Last year, the Cougars lost to Villa Angela-St. Joseph in the district
championship.
Lake Catholic is 14-4 and was voted the No. 2 seed behind VASJ at this year’s Ashtabula District. The Cougars are confident their best basketball is capable of carrying them deep into the state tournament.
Moran lauds Frazier’s basketball IQ and understanding of the game’s team
aspect.
“There’s just times where I think he’s too unselfish,” Moran said, “where he puts the team first every single time. As a coach, when your biggest problem with him is, ‘hey, we need you to look to score more,’ that just shows you what type of teammate he is. It’s been awesome coaching him.”