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Frazier moves on to Motlow

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Photo by JOE DiCRISTOFALO

Ex-Central High Head Coach Eric Hayes helped Darryn Frazier, the county's leading scorer the past three seasons, land a roster spot of Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tenn.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: December 3, 2009

He arrived from the Land of the Midnight Sun and for three years lit up the scoreboard wherever Central High played.

Then just like that, Darryn Frazier left town.

His prep career in Brooksville was defined by personal highs and team lows. He scored over 1,700 points, while the Bears won only 17 total games.

But the three-time Hernando County scoring champion doesn't wish he had chosen a different destination upon arriving from Alaska in 2006.

"Coach (Eric) Hayes helped me out a lot," said Frazier, referring to the former Central head coach now at Dunnellon. "He kept it real with me. He made me a better player.

"I was playing for the best coach in the county. We didn't have a lot of talent, but we fought every game. He worked us. He made us better. I'd do it all over again."

Of course, he won't have that opportunity. Instead, he has continued his basketball days at Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tenn.

Moving along

How did he end up in Tennessee? Well for one, it a mere 45-minute drive from Huntsville, Ala. That's where his parents moved right after he graduated from Central.

"P-HCC (Pasco-Hernando Community College) wanted me but I knew I was moving. I wanted to be closer to home," Frazier said. "That made it more difficult. I had to start over."

He was prepared to go to prep school when a coach from Motlow, who saw him at an exposure camp in Alabama, stepped forward with an offer.

So now the former Bear starts for the Bucks, a team receiving votes in the National Junior College Athletic Association national poll.

"It's all right," Frazier said of the area.  "It's a lot different. It's a little country, nothing really to do. It's not bad, though. It's real quiet."

One thing that hasn't changed for Frazier, he can still score with the best of them. He ranks second on the squad at 17 points per game, one total point behind Freddie Goldstein for the team lead.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound shooting guard also paces the Bucks in three-pointers made with 22, and is connecting from beyond the arc at a 55 percent clip.

"It's (the junior college game) a lot faster," Frazier said. "Guys are a lot bigger, stronger. They play hard on defense. They're really big on defense. That's what I'm working on now. My defense is a little shaky."

He doesn't have to carry the load the way he did at Central. Last season, he led the Bears in scoring (26.9), rebounding (4.5), steals (2.5) and three-pointers made (39).

By the time he finished at Central, he had accumulated 1,790 points, averaging 23.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game, while hitting on 92 treys.

But the team only went 17-60 in those three years and struggled to make headway in the competitive Class 5A, District 7.

"I had fun," Frazier said. "I wish we had one more year. I think with what we were going to bring back, I think we could have went far in the playoffs. I wish we could have won more, but I had fun."

Looking ahead

The Bucks are currently 5-2, so Frazier has already started to enjoy more team success. However, he'll only spend a couple of seasons at Motlow.

Looking ahead, he has his sites set on playing for a bigger program. After all, Frazier's unofficial motto seems to have become have game, will travel.

"My coach said I could play high Division I if I play good defense. He knows a lot of people, too," Frazier said. "I think about it every day."

BY THE NUMBERS: DARRYN FRAZIER AT CENTRAL
Year                        GP           FG           3PT         FTA        FTM       FT%       TP           AVG
2006-07                   24            161          13            191          126          66%        461          19.2
2007-08                   27            216          40            191          158          83%        630          23.3
2008-09                   26            244          39            217          172          79%        699          26.9
TOTALS                77            621          92            599          456          76%        1,790       23.2

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at 352-544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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