Words by Breyanna Frazier, as told to Christian Mordi / @thedribbledrop on IG and Twitter
I started taking basketball serious around the 7th grade. My step dad would always take me to the court to put up shots. My mom also played basketball when she was younger, so I was always around the game. The first year was kind of rough as I was finding my way. I started going to camps and playing against the guys. It made me tougher.
Later that year I played with the New Jersey Sparks for the first time. I found out about the Sparks by chance. I randomly searched local programs and they were the first that popped out that caught my attention. I emailed the coach and they were very receptive. I tried out and the rest was history.
I play high school basketball at Marist High. My great uncle is the coach there. My experience at Marist has been amazing. They have fully supported me throughout my journey. They made everything work for me. My first couple of years we were really good. Last year we took a little step back, but I honestly learned more my junior year than the first two years. I learned how to lose with grace and how to win and close out games. I learned how to lead. I learned the importance of being poised under pressure.
Personally, I always had the mindset that I would play division one on the next level. I knew that if I dreamed it and put in the work that I could achieve it. One of the first big moments that I felt the intensity of the recruiting process was going into my junior year. I was still playing for the Sparks and we had an EYBL session at Boo Williams. I had a really good session and a lot of coaches reached out.
This year I played for BBA, which is sponsored by Adidas. Playing for Coach Antoine was amazing. He put the ball in my hands a lot more and showed a lot of confidence in my game. He’s a great coach and person. He is there for you whenever you need him and my teammates are the same. We all support each other. Going to play for BBA was one of the best decisions I made in my basketball career.
I had a top 5 schools, but I kept my recruitment low key. I never really posted schools. I felt like the only reason for me to speak about my recruitment was when I decided where I wanted to go. I’m a pretty private person. My final five were Kentucky, UMass, Nebraska, UCF and Butler.
In the end, I decided to commit to the University of Central Florida. They have a fairly new coach there and she is really excited to build the program up. Coach Abe is very determined to win and we’re like minded. Coach wants to play against the best and I want to be a part of that. I love the culture of the school. When I went on the visit, I felt like I was a part of the team. I felt at home. It made my decision very easy. Even when I talked about other places they were always the standard I compared to. It was meant to be.
I want to thank god. My uncle Reggie who has done a lot for me throughout this process. Coach Antoine for BBA for bringing me into his program, my mom and everyone else in my family.
Go Knights,
Breyanna