A member of the state runner-up Northwood boys basketball team announced finally announced his college choice Monday.
Northwood senior Max Frazier picked up his first Divison-I offer from Siena College, located in Loudonville, N.Y. And shortly thereafter, on Monday, he committed to the Saints men’s basketball team.
A member of the MAAC conference, Siena has made the men’s NCAA Tournament six times since 1989. The Saints most recently qualified for the big dance in 2010, when they lost to Purdue in the first round.
“I felt like once I went up there and got to visit the campus, I thought it was a good spot for me,” Frazier said. “It felt like a home. The people that were there took care of me.”
A 6-foot-8 forward, Frazier played the last two seasons with the Northwood boys basketball team after transferring from Woods Charter following the 2020-21 season. In 57 games with the Chargers across two seasons, Frazier averaged 8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. While he was with the team, Northwood had an overall record of 62-7.
As a senior this past winter, Frazier averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, helping the Chargers advance all the way to the finals of the 2A boys state tournament. Northwood eventually fell in the finals to undefeated Central Cabarrus.
“It was an amazing experience,” Frazier said of his senior season. “I was so grateful I got to play with my whole team one last time. It didn’t end the way we wanted, but it was a great season. We had a lot of great moments and a lot of fun times.”
Frazier was part of a hulking front line for the Chargers that also included senior Kenan Parrish, a 7-foot center who also received recent recruiting buzz.
Earlier this week, Parish announced on social media that he received a scholarship offer from Appalachian State. He also has offers from Army, Navy and Wingate under his belt.
“It’s incredible,” Frazier said of his teammates’ journey the past several seasons. “His development over the season and throughout the years, he has become an overall amazing player, and he should be playing at a high level just like me. He’s a great player.”
Northwood will have to figure out a way to replace both Frazier and Parrish when they return the court for the 2023-24 season. It will be hard to replicate the size the pair brought to the table, but one player who could step into a frontcourt role in their place is current freshman Chad Graves, a 6-foot-8 forward who figures to be part of the team’s plans for the future.
The Chargers have had a winning record in each of the past five seasons under head coach Matt Brown. The last time Northwood failed to finish above .500 was in 2017-18 (9-16 overall).
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.