Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

Gator on the rise

Frazier showcases his game to NBA.

- By Edgar Thompson Staff writer

“I’m the best shooter in the draft. Look at my body of work.” Michael Frazier II, former UF guard

GAINESVILL­E — Shooting guard Michael Frazier II was expected to be going through his final offseason workouts at UF.

Next season, he would challenge the school record for 3-pointers, continue to develop his all-around game and redeem himself after a disappoint­ing 2014-15 campaign for Frazier and the Gators.

But Frazier rewrote the script when he left school early, entering Thursday’s NBA draft. The decision caught many off guard, but Frazier said it was a no-brainer.

The 21-year-old decided he had nothing left to achieve at UF and his game was NBA-ready. He has since proved his point during private workouts with more than half the league’s 30 teams and last month’s NBA draft combine in Chicago.

“I’m not surprised at what I’m doing,” Frazier said. “I’m getting all these questions, like people are surprised at what I’m doing. If it were going to be a surprise to me, I would have never came out.

“I knew what I was fully capable of — I knew it to the full extent.”

Frazier’s 3-point shooting ability is a skill few players in the draft can match. He was a career 43.2 percent 3-point shooter at UF and shot lights out in Chicago.

“I’m the best shooter in the draft,” Frazier states unabashedl­y. “Look at my body of work.”

Yet, questions swirled around the rest of his game when he declared for the draft in late March.

Frazier said he’s shown NBA teams during the draft process he also can create his shot, facilitate for teammates and defend at

a higher level than anticipate­d. At the combine, the Tampa native measured slightly taller than 6 feet 4 but had above-average measuremen­ts for both his wingspan and standing reach.

Frazier’s draft status has improved accordingl­y.

ESPN’s Chad Ford has projected Frazier to go as high as No. 30, the final pick of the first round. Frazier checked in at No. 46 in NBA Draft Express’ latest mock draft.

“I don’t really try to get caught up in that too much,” Frazier said. “But it’s definitely good to know teams are really interested and my stock is really rising.”

Frazier has worked hard to develop his overall game. But his basketball identity always has been tied to his shooting ability, honed during late-night workouts and a game day routine featuring 500 jumpers.

Frazier’s 3-point shooting prowess was pivotal as a UF freshman for an Elite Eight team. Frazier then set a school-record for 3-pointers (118) for the 2014 Final Four squad.

He looked to expand his repertoire and role last season, but Frazier often struggled to find the rhythm and wide-open looks he did a season earlier on a seniorled squad. A high-ankle injury Feb. 7 against Kentucky eventually derailed his season.

When he returned after a month layoff and a cortisone shot, Frazier was not close to 100 percent season and shot 12.5 percent (2 of 16) in his final three games as a Gator. It was a fitting ending for Frazier and a 16-17 team.

“It was frustratin­g for everybody,” Frazier said. “Sometimes, you just have a season where it doesn’t go your way.”

Looking to change his team’s fortunes, coach Billy Donovan challenged his players, especially Frazier, in every fashion imaginable.

“He was hard on everybody, man,” Frazier said. “It was a rough year. It was a grind.

“That’s something that I loved about him. He never let me settle. I thank him for that. He made me the player I am today.”

When the dust settled after last season, Frazier said he decided it was time to move on.

“I’d gone to the Elite Eight, gone to the Final Four, won 30 games in a row,” he said. “Played for one of the best college coaches ever. What else was there for me to do?”

Frazier said he sensed Donovan was ready for a change, too. A month after Frazier declared for the draft, Donovan became head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I did have a feeling he was going to go, he was going to move on,” Frazier said.

During the upcoming season, Frazier hopes to join Donovan in the NBA.

Frazier said Donovan sent him some encouragin­g words via text message last month. While Donovan is a ready-made star with a $6 million salary, Frazier has workouts remaining and a chance to prove himself until the day of the draft.

“I’m just trying to go into every workout and give all I got, show what I can do,” he said. “Then when draft night comes just let the chips fall where they may.”

egthompson@tribpub.com

 ?? JOSHUA C. CRUEY/STAFF FILE PHOTO ?? Former Gators guard Michael Frazier II was a career 43.2 percent 3-point shooter during his time at Florida.
JOSHUA C. CRUEY/STAFF FILE PHOTO Former Gators guard Michael Frazier II was a career 43.2 percent 3-point shooter during his time at Florida.
 ?? GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO ?? Michael Frazier II has had workouts with more than half of the NBA’s 30 teams. “It’s definitely good to know teams are really interested and my stock is really rising,” he said.
GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO Michael Frazier II has had workouts with more than half of the NBA’s 30 teams. “It’s definitely good to know teams are really interested and my stock is really rising,” he said.

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