Just two days after it was reported that rising senior point guard Quincy Taylor has decided to transfer from UAB, head coach Jerod Haase landed an important recruit in the form of Gulf Coast State guard Chad Frazier (6-4, 190 pounds).
Chad Frazier (6-4/G/2013) of Gulf Coast St. has committed to UAB.
— Brad Winton (@BradWinton) May 5, 2013
In 29 games this season Frazier, who at various points in his career committed to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, averaged 15.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Frazier’s decision is a big one for the Blazers as Taylor (3.0 apg) and Terence Jones (3.6 apg) were the team leaders in assists last season. UAB welcomes three point guards among its seven newcomers, as Frazier joins incoming freshmen Dayshawn Watkins and Denzel Watts.
Both Watkins and Watts have signed a National Letter of Intent to attend UAB.
Leading scorers Rod Rucker (14.5 ppg, 82 rpg) and Jordan Swing (14.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.7 apg) return for the 2013-14 season, and with many of Conference USA’s best basketball programs moving to the American Athletic Conference this summer the Blazers may be able to improve their status within the conference.
How successful Haase and his staff are in doing so will hinge on how well the returnees mesh with the seven newcomers.
Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.