Prospect Spotlight: Erik Fraser (2020 Grant HS)
Last year as a member of the JV squad, all Erik Fraser could do is sit and watch all four Grant/Jeff matchups. But this season the steady 6-foot-3, 180-pound wing is 100 percent part of the action that has become…
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Continue ReadingLast year as a member of the JV squad, all Erik Fraser could do is sit and watch all four Grant/Jeff matchups. But this season the steady 6-foot-3, 180-pound wing is 100 percent part of the action that has become the biggest and most intense rivalry in the state. Fraser was able to contribute with some key threes in Grant’s 83-82 win on Saturday and it’s an experience he won’t soon forget.
“It was amazing – my ears are still ringing,” Fraser said. “The energy was crazy and I was really excited to be able to play in that atmosphere.”
Against Jefferson, Fraser had a solid shooting night hitting 3-for-6 from three-point range, while also contributing on the boards with seven rebounds. It’s been a little up and down so far for the junior – for example at the Les Schwab Invitational he had two games where he didn’t even score – but things appear to be on the upswing for him.
“In the beginning of the season I was having some struggles with my shooting, getting used to playing with two great players in Ty (Rankin) and Aaron (Deloney) and the rest of the team,” Frasier said. “But now I think we’re finding our groove – and me as well.”
This is Fraser’s first year on varsity and he’s basically been thrust into the starting lineup. He knew this would be the case going into the season, so he spent last spring and summer playing high level AAU basketball with Team Fly’s 16U squad.
“That was a good experience – I got to play with some guys that I hadn’t played with before,” Fraser said. “We were able to win some games and played well together – it was a good group of guys and a fun experience overall. I was able to be a leader on that team and I was able to improve my game, especially my finishing because I’ve always been just kind of a shooter. I’ve got a lot of improvement to do – every part of my game needs work but especially I’m trying to focus on defense and taking the ball to the hoop.”
Since he’s only played JV until this year, Fraser isn’t quite on the radar of collegiate programs. But given his ability to catch and shoot as well as developing more of a game getting to the basket, there’s no question that Fraser has potential at the next level. He’s definitely given it some thought.
“I definitely want to get an education with basketball as it’s a good tool to get me into college for free,” Fraser said. “I want a coach that will work with me, a player coach that can help me out with my game and what I need to improve on. It’s fine if he’s hard on me, I like coaches that get on me, and from a school standpoint I want to be an engineer.”
There’s plenty of time for Fraser when it comes to his recruitment. For now, the rest of the season awaits as he and his Generals teammates celebrate the big win in the PIL race. “In the locker room it was crazy exciting,” Fraser said. “We know we can build off of this and get even higher – get even better.”
Fraser currently ranks as the #30 player in the PrepHoops Class of 2020 rankings.