Frazier breaks out against Quinnipiac as CCSU sets non-conference win record

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — When Max Frazier entered the transfer portal last spring, he knew exactly what he was looking for.  After one year at Siena as a young freshman, he knew he needed a fresh start and a new opportunity to live up to his full potential.

“Talking to Coach Sellers over the phone, he had a very bright vision for me,” Frazier said. “I feel like I just have to live up to what he wants me to be at Central Connecticut, so I just have to keep working.”

On Saturday, he did just that. In his first career collegiate start, he scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Central Connecticut State defeated Quinnipiac, 84-80, to move to 8-4 on the season, those eight wins marking a new program non-conference record.

“I’ve been telling it to the staff, I’ve been telling it to Max, he doesn’t know how good he is,” head coach Patrick Sellers said. 

Frazier entered the starting lineup in place of the injured Abdul Momoh. Momoh sprained his foot in the win over Fairfield on Wednesday, but he should be good to go when the schedule resumes after Christmas.

Tasked with guarding Bobcat star big man Paul Otieno, Frazier put together his strongest defensive performance of the season. He was only credited with one block, but he altered many others and gave whoever went inside some trouble.

Offensively, Frazier looked quite sound for someone who had never scored in double figures once in college. His teammates set him up nicely for finishes inside and he was also able to break free for some vicious slams that got the crowd going.

“My vision coming in here was definitely playing a couple minutes and scoring a couple points,” Frazier said. “Seventeen points is a career-high, I wasn’t even thinking about that. Just playing and working.”

One area where Frazier struggled was at the charity stripe. His lefty touch was off, connecting on just 3-of-9 free throws. Overall, it was a poor free throw shooting performance as a unit for Central that allowed the Bobcats to stay in the game.

Even with the foul shot woes, Sellers knows Frazier is well on schedule in his development, perhaps even ahead.

“Technically, Max should have probably been at a prep school last year or redshirted (at Siena), but he played last year,” Sellers said. “Talent-wise, he’s as talented as anyone that we have.”

Frazier committed to Siena out of Northwood High School and played in 20 games off the bench his freshman season for the Saints, one of the worst Division I teams in the country by record. After Carmen Maciariello was let go, Frazier entered the portal.

One thing that appealed to Sellers was the youth that comes with Frazier.

“Max is the youngest guy on our team and he already had a year in college,” Sellers said. “We have three freshmen that are older than Max.”

With Frazier joining a pair of freshmen in Darin Smith, Jr. and James Jones as the usual frontcourt reserves, the depth that this year’s Blue Devils squad has very well could be the reason it can be playing well into March.

“We’re a very close group of guys, on and off the court,” Frazier said. “We’re always doing something (together).”

The Blue Devils are off for eight days for Christmas before returning back to the court next Sunday for a matchup with Johnson and Wales in New Britain.