Frazier to miss rest of season
Penn State point guard Tim Frazier will miss the rest of the 2012-13 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, announced a men's basketball team spokesman on Tuesday morning.
The Nittany Lions' senior suffered the injury Sunday afternoon in the first half of their game against Akron at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off when he cut. He missed the remainder of the game, and after surgery scheduled for today, will now miss the remainder of the season.
Advertisement
According to the team spokesman, Frazier is eligible to apply for a medical hardship redshirt season to be able to compete during the 2013-14 season, if he so chooses.
Frazier was recently named to the Naismith Award Watch List following a junior season that saw him finish second in the Big Ten in scoring, and first in both assists and steals.
"Obviously, my heart goes out to Tim Frazier," head coach Patrick Chambers said Tuesday afternoon. "Since my short time here, he's done everything I've asked him to do, and then some. He's resilient. He will persevere.
"He will rebound from this injury and he will come back bigger, better and stronger, which is definitely scary."
The ever-optimistic Chambers framed the loss as a potential positive, though.
Needing his underclassmen to perform at a higher level, Chambers said that nobody inside or out of the basketball program should feel sorry for anyone other than Frazier himself.
"Somebody's gotta step up," Chambers said. "It's a great opportunity for some of our freshmen and guys that wanted to step up. They've gotta step up.
"We always talk about purpose. Maybe Tim Frazier is just that purpose that you need to play a little bit harder."
The Nittany Lions will find out exactly what the future for the 2012-13 season holds when they begin playing without their senior guard in earnest Friday afternoon. Undefeated Bucknell comes to the Bryce Jordan Center for a 4:30 p.m. tip.