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Interesting story on Ricky Frazier post-NBA draft
Posted on: April 16, 2018 at 13:17:24 CT
FIJItiger MU
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He was the 26th overall pick, but never made a team or played in an NBA game. This has some good details/context as to what happened:
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/140093359/
Al McGuire had crowned him "The King of Shake and Bake." Iowa State Coach Johnny Orr had claimed he "was the one guy in the Big Eight you can't guard." His own coach, Norm Stewart, said, "When the Lord waved the talent wand over Ricky Frazier, he lingered longer than he did over everybody else."
Yet on Oct. 22, a week before the start of the National Basketball Association season, Ricky Frazier, the leading scorer in University of Missouri basketball history, was cut by the Chicago Bulls. Not so much for lack of talent, but for lack of time.
Frazier had been the 26th player taken in the NBA draft last June, the first of three selections by the Bulls in the second round. He played on the Bulls' California summer-league entry and performed well. There was no question that he would be invited back to training camp. "We had our rookies come in three days before the veterans," said Bulls General Manager Rod Thorn. "And Ricky played well. But he hurt his foot the last day before the rookies went down to Bradley University (for the regular training camp), and in trying to protect that injury, he hurt his groin." Frazier also had to undergo emergency dental work during training camp. Because he could not practice, the Bulls could not evaluate him.
"He was never able to compete for a job,' said Thorn. "He never played in the exhibitions except for a couple of token appearances late in games. He was competing with Tracy Jackson for a job and Jackson (a second-year player out of Notre Dame) just had an outstanding training camp. "We had a numbers problem and Ricky had just gotten too far behind. He wasn't at the right place at the right time."
Thorn says the interest in Frazier has not died. "I already' have heard from one team asking about Frazier for next summer's training camp," said Thorn. "He was too well thought of to get just one crack at the NBA."
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/140093359/
Al McGuire had crowned him "The King of Shake and Bake." Iowa State Coach Johnny Orr had claimed he "was the one guy in the Big Eight you can't guard." His own coach, Norm Stewart, said, "When the Lord waved the talent wand over Ricky Frazier, he lingered longer than he did over everybody else."
Yet on Oct. 22, a week before the start of the National Basketball Association season, Ricky Frazier, the leading scorer in University of Missouri basketball history, was cut by the Chicago Bulls. Not so much for lack of talent, but for lack of time.
Frazier had been the 26th player taken in the NBA draft last June, the first of three selections by the Bulls in the second round. He played on the Bulls' California summer-league entry and performed well. There was no question that he would be invited back to training camp. "We had our rookies come in three days before the veterans," said Bulls General Manager Rod Thorn. "And Ricky played well. But he hurt his foot the last day before the rookies went down to Bradley University (for the regular training camp), and in trying to protect that injury, he hurt his groin." Frazier also had to undergo emergency dental work during training camp. Because he could not practice, the Bulls could not evaluate him.
"He was never able to compete for a job,' said Thorn. "He never played in the exhibitions except for a couple of token appearances late in games. He was competing with Tracy Jackson for a job and Jackson (a second-year player out of Notre Dame) just had an outstanding training camp. "We had a numbers problem and Ricky had just gotten too far behind. He wasn't at the right place at the right time."
Thorn says the interest in Frazier has not died. "I already' have heard from one team asking about Frazier for next summer's training camp," said Thorn. "He was too well thought of to get just one crack at the NBA."
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Interesting story on Ricky Frazier post-NBA draft - FIJItiger MU - 4/16 13:17:24