West Virginia assistant Frazier has strong recruiting ties
West Virginia is in the process of putting together the roster for next season but it’s never too early to look ahead to the future.
And with the hiring of Chester Frazier, it’s not hard to do so either.
The newly minted West Virginia assistant has strong ties on the prep circuit, particularly the east coast which is advantageous considering the location of Morgantown.
It makes sense considering that Frazier is from Baltimore and has developed a reputation for his recruiting. And is motivated in his new role with the Mountaineers.
“Frazier’s strength as a recruiter is the network of contacts that he’s built around the country, particularly on the east coast. He’s from Baltimore and he’s really tied in to the AAU and high school scene in the region,” said Doug Bucshon from Orange and Blue News.
Frazier was on the Illinois staff since 2021 and was highly active scouting and recruiting a long list of kids with some very successful results when it came to getting some of them to Champaign. However, a reliance on the transfer portal for immediate help hurt retaining some of those players long term.
During his time with the Illini, Frazier is known for his relationship building with top prospects and was involved with several major targets in 2025.
Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy 2025 guard Kaden Magwood is one of those and received an offer from West Virginia prior to the hire of Frazier becoming official. The two have developed a very close bond which should keep the Mountaineers on his short list of schools moving forward.
In fact, Magwood is already planning an official visit to Morgantown. He averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game this past season and is rated as the No. 116th best prospect.
“He’s been recruiting me since last year,” Magwood said.
Milwaukee (Wi.) Academy of Science guard Jamarion Bateman is another that has a strong connection with Frazier and is looking into taking a visit to campus.
“It’s really good. He actually gave me my first high major offer and my second overall offer, so we’ve been talking for a long time. It’s a really strong bond,” he said. “If it comes to it, I’d love to play for Frazier.”
He also has offered Washington (D.C.) Sidwell Friends guard Acaden Lewis who is at 105 nationally since he has arrived in Morgantown. The pair have a strong connection and the Mountaineers believe he's a strong fit for what they want to do.
“I’ve known him for a couple years back when he was at Illinois. He’s from Baltimore and has connections where I used to play a lot,” he said.
Frazier was also involved with a number of other talented players in the 2025 cycle, and it will be interesting to see if the Mountaineers pursue or other targets emerge.
Some of the targets on his list at Illinois includes Middle Village (N.Y.) Long Island Lutheran guard Kiyan Anthony who’s rated as the No. 38 best prospect nationally, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Calvary Christian Academy guard Shon Abaev the 39th best, La Porte (In.) La Lumiere School guard Chuck Love the 56th best and Charlottesville (Va.) St. Anne’s-Belfield guard Chance Mallory who comes in at No. 87 nationally.
West Virginia plans to place a focus on not only mining the transfer portal but recruiting and developing high level prospects from the prep level and with Harris on staff they seemed equipped to do just that.
“He’s the consummate professional, the players love him, and I think the West Virginia fans are going to enjoy having him around,” Bucshon said.
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