Chester Frazier was appreciative of his time spent coaching at his alma mater Illinois. And the success that came with it with two championships in three years and an Elite 8 run in the tournament.

But Frazier wanted an opportunity to further grow in his role in order to prepare him for his next step up the coaching ladder and West Virginia provided that.

“It just needed something that I thought fit me a little bit more. And again, as I continue my journey to be a head coach, I wanted to learn something different,” he said.

It was a chance for Frazier to get back to his East Coast roots considering he’s from Baltimore and as well as work with a head coach in Darian DeVries that he had often watched from afar given how the pair aligned offensively and defensively.

The two had not met each other, but Frazier had done his homework watching Drake games as well as talking to others in the industry.

“He’s a winner, does things the right way. And I heard nothing but glowing remarks from my peers on his coaching style. So it drew me here,” he said.

Combine those two factors and it made the job an attractive position for him when it came open.

“It made a lot of sense when the job came open to make the move,” he said.

On the offensive end, West Virginia will continue to use a lot of ball movement with good sets and actions. Overall, it will be selfless basketball and they want to get out and play in the open court with the ability to slow it down when they need to. On the defensive end, the Mountaineers will be tough and stingy with a physical and connected brand of basketball which they’ve shown to date.

Some of the identity of this current team is still developing but the team is competing at a higher level than when the team first arrived and roles are starting to be established.

“I think connectivity has been the biggest piece. They’re getting along, they love each other and they’re playing hard. And that’s the only thing you can ask as a new group with so many new guys,” he said.

Darian DeVries probably wasn’t all that thrilled with how his team performed in their final game ahead of the Christmas break, but the Mountaineers were still able to take down Mercyhurst by a 67-46 score, finishing non-conference play with a 9-2 record.

The last couple of weeks have been cupcake central for West Virginia, which was much needed after the challenging start to the schedule they had and then, of course, what awaits them when they return to the floor with Big 12 Conference play beginning,

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has continued to move WVU up in his NCAA Tournament projections over the last month. In his Christmas Day projection, he finally has the Mountaineers safely off the bubble and in the field as a No. 9 seed in the South Region.

1. Auburn vs. 16. Southern/American

8. Clemson vs. 9. West Virginia

5. Memphis vs. 12. Furman

4. Texas A&M vs. 13. High Point

6. Ole Miss vs. 11. Drake/Saint Mary’s

3. Oregon vs. 14. UMass Lowell

7. Michigan vs. 10. Utah State

2. Kentucky vs. 15. Montana

West Virginia will have the next few days off before traveling to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 opener on New Year’s Eve.

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