We were wrong about Chester
We all love human interest stories during the holidays, and we have a great one playing out on the floor of the Assembly Hall this year. No, I am not talking about our many fine young players starting to come into their own (which I could), or the excitement of our recruiting successes (which many are). No, I am talking about the joy of watching a young man succeed, not because of limitless talent or unbelievable physical prowess, but because of something greater. What we have the privilege to watch play out this season is success based on the kind of stuff they put on motivational posters; Heart, Courage, and Determination.
I am talking about one of the most maligned players in recent memory, probably since Andy Kaufmann (although that is where the comparison ends,) Chester. Yeah, Chester.
Chester – the guy we have all screamed at on the TV; the guy we have cussed, bemoaned, and ridiculed. The guy that has been booed on his own court – booed by us, us so called bleed-orange-and-blue Illini fans.
Let us review what we have said over the years:
Wasted scholarship, no handles, can’t shoot, no court vision, terrible free throw shooter, offensive liability, like playing four against five, why does Weber stick with this guy? I could go on.
How many guys would have quit, just packed it in, said hell with it? How many “stars” have we had who sat out for weeks every time they tweaked a muscle or got a pinky boo boo, whose off court behavior let the entire university down, who broke their word and jumped to greener pastures while looking out for number one? Well, not Chester. Chester kept working. Chester busted his butt in practice. He played with injuries that others would have probably taken medical redshirts for. Why does Weber stick with him? Because Weber is a heck of a lot better judge of a player than any of us, because he saw something in Chester that is worth more than a 48 inch vertical or a deadeye from the three point line.
I saw a glimmer of it last year during the introductions for the Indiana game. Eric Gordon came to town, the all-American future NBA star, the guy with bars of gold for talent and rusted tin cans for character. Chester met him on the court and gave him a chest bump. It wasn’t a, “Hi pal let’s have a fun game,” little bump. It was a full on, “Game on Chump, You are in our house now,” nuclear whollop Chest BOOM. It was way cool, and it psyched out Mr. Gordon. He was rattled and punked. Remember the timing of it. This was before the bottom fell out and the NCAA was forced by overwhelming evidence to admit just how dirty a once great Indiana program had become in their quest for a championship run. Remember how sports reporters called it excessive and an attack. ESPN called it dirty and said Chester should be suspended for flagrant something, flagrant anything. An Illini bum just couldn’t treat one of the golden boys that way. BUT I called it leadership. It wasn’t a cheap shot. It was a man-to-man, I-am- in-your-face, message that we were not backing down and we were pissed. That is when I saw a glimmer of something more. Gordon was never the same. Sure they won because Pruitt was a brick-throwing loser from the free throw line. But the guy I say won the most was Chester. He became the team’s leader that day.
Fast forward to the present day. Chester has a new do. He said he cut his hair because he didn’t want to look like a thug when he represented his school. What? Wow! How often do you hear that from an athelete in any sport? Guess what? Chester is better. Way better. In fact I will go this far. Chet is the most valuable point guard in the Big Ten. Nobody does more for his team. Nobody has more heart. And nobody makes me prouder of the job our school does in developing young men to make a positive contribution to society. I am damn proud Chester is an Illini.
Comment by Joshua on 2 January 2009 at 12:33 pm:
Great post! I was certainly guilty of criticizing Chester in all the ways you mentioned, and a few others, but he’s won me over. Sure it would be nice if he could even sorta shoot, but Chester has really proven himself this year.
Comment by james frazier on 3 January 2009 at 6:23 am:
My name is james Frazier aka chester’s big brother. I am very delighted to see an article , story , blog, or post that recognizes my little brother for his hard work , and tireless dedication. i have seen him judged and ridiculed for things which he had no control over. i’ve seen the stories in which he was called a thug, a waste, a bum, but if people only took the time to realize that we all cant be michael jordan or lebron, or kobe, but we can all play the game, or live our lives with heart and dedication anything is possible. there is a saying i oncer heard and it goes like this. HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT FAILS TO WORK HARD… i think that defines my little brother. so , for the person who took the time to put this beautiful post together, i say thank you !!!!!
Comment by Joshua on 3 January 2009 at 2:19 pm:
James, Thanks for visiting our blog and for your note. I shared your quote with my girlfriends little brother to remind him how much hustle and heart can do for you. Chester is a gutsy young man, and if he can motivate his players to play with half the heart he has, he’ll be one heck of a coach someday.
Comment by Billy Joe Mills on 3 January 2009 at 8:36 pm:
I know that Chester might be a long shot to play in the NBA at this point, but if he works hard and continues to improve and he shows NBA coaches that he’s willing to be a team player and to work like a dog for his passion then I think it’s possible.
Also, James, thanks for the comment. It’s pretty cool to have you commenting on here. Be sure to send this link to your little bro.
Comment by chrism on 3 January 2009 at 10:04 pm:
Sorry, while Chester is playing extremely well up to this point, if Dee can’t even stay in the league and Luther can’t even crack a starting lineup, there is no way Chester can even remotely think about the NBA. Let’s not lose perspective, and remember there is still 2/3 of a season to play, and 95% of a Big Ten schedule.
Comment by Joshua on 3 January 2009 at 10:23 pm:
I think Dee was picked up by Phoenix. But he is popping in and out of the league. I tend to agree that Chester probably doesn’t have a shot at the NBA, barring a remarkable run the rest of the season, but he could easily play overseas, and I think he would be a fantastic coach someday.
While our beloved fighting illini are off to a great start, its true that many of the wins have been against powder puff teams.
Comment by Evan on 3 January 2009 at 11:14 pm:
Honestly, I doubt Chester could make that much money even in Europe. Having said that, it’s been pretty impressive how much his basketball skills have improved this year, and few have ever questioned his heart or leadership ability. Anyway, Chester has stated he wants to go into coaching after he finishes his career at Illinois. Out of all the players Weber has had, I would say Chester is his favorite, so I’m sure Weber will help him achieve that goal.
Here is a story that details many of his trials and tribulations:
http://www.illinihq.com/news/print/2008/12/25/12_days_and_stories_of_christmas_chester_fraziers_story
James, if that is really you, Chester has taken a fair amount of crap over the years, but I think people have always appreciated his hustle and heart. I believe he will get an extremely warm reception on Senior Day.
As to the team’s performance, Illinois has road wins at Vandy (almost always a tough road win) and Purdue, a neutral court demolishment of Missouri, and a close loss at home against undefeated Clemson. It’s still early, but if they win tomorrow in Ann Arbor, it would be a pretty big collapse if they didn’t return to the tournament this year.
Ken Pomeroy, probably the most well-respected college basketball statistician, has the Illini sitting at #16, and at this point projects them to win the Big Ten. I don’t think the season will turn out quite that well (though I hope I’m wrong), but I definitely think Illinois will at least make the tournament, which would mean it exceeded almost everybody’s preseason expectations.
Another fun storyline for Illini fans to watch is Indiana’s quest to become the Big Ten’s version of the Detroit Lions. Will the Hoosiers complete the [im]perfect Big Ten season?
Comment by Joshua on 4 January 2009 at 9:55 pm:
Tough loss today at Michigan. It really felt like the Illini were playing team ball on offense and totally collapsing on D. Michigan seemed to just pass the ball around until one of them made a one on one move, especially late in the game.
It’s scary how good this team could be come tournament time if Chester keeps growing and leading, and Legion develops, and McCamey becomes consistent.
Also, James, I noticed that when Chester isn’t in the game things start to fall apart on offense. I wonder who will shoulder the pg duties next year…
Comment by Katie on 7 January 2009 at 10:15 pm:
I lived in the same dorm with Chester freshman year. I wouldn’t say we were friends, but we talked every once in awhile and hung out a few times. I remember being incredibly impressed by his self control. I’m not sure if this still holds true, but freshman year, he didn’t drink or do drugs, which was a lot more than most athletes in the 6-pack could say. (On multiple occasions, we came home to cops busting other basketball players for smoking weed in their dorm rooms.) He rarely went out, and when he did, he was the first one home. Chester is definitely proof that hard work and a strong will pay off.