Rumor: Illinois Basketball Assistant Hired by West Virginia

Originally posted on Armchair Illini | By Alex Kyi | Last updated 4/13/24

Rumor: Illinois Basketball Assistant Hired by West Virginia

Bittersweet moment for Illinois Basketball. Obviously, Illinois fans want the best assistants in the country. On that note, college basketball programs will always try to poach quality assistants. Recently, Illinois Basketball Assistant, Chester Frazier, has been involved in plenty of offseason rumors regarding his time in Champaign. That noise has started to pick up. Multiple West Virginia social media accounts have reported that Chester Frazier has been hired by the new coaching staff in Morgantown.

This means that Brad Underwood has to find an assistant coach on top of the number of transfer portal priorities. However, it reportedly sounds like Illinois will be acting swiftly in its search.

BREAKING: West Virginia is hiring Illinois assistant coach Chester Frazier, per source. HUGE GET! #WVU pic.twitter.com/93vgbYtVfI

— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) April 13, 2024

Strange timing

Chester Frazier seemed like a no-brainer hire back in 2021. After Chin Coleman and Orlando Antigua both left Illinois for Kentucky, Frazier was an assistant coach who checked off a ton of boxes. He was a former player at Illinois, a young up-and-coming coach, and a tireless recruiter. Frazier has done well during his time in Champaign. Specifically, He has landed some interesting recruits, however, recently those recruits have not had the impact Frazier maybe thought he would. For example, Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris are the two names that come to mind for Chester Frazier. Additionally, Jase Butler just recently opened his recruitment after Illinois started to prioritize the transfer portal.

Frazier will get a fresh start in Morgantown with a rebuilding program. Perhaps, the philosophy and style of play will be more in line in what Chester Frazier is hoping to be a part of as an assistant. Who’s a good replacement for Illinois? Check out the latest live stream from the Illincast for a name that you should keep in mind.