Muleskinner

Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Sports

Commentary: Nate Taylor [Click to enlarge]

Nathan Frazier finally got his chance Monday night.

He started for the first time in his career and passed the first test in the 64-56 win over Fort Hays.

It seemed as if it took Frazier forever to get this opportunity, but here he was after two-and-a-half years of waiting.

Since the guard from Versailles, Mo. came to Central Missouri, coach Kim Anderson has been waiting for Frazier to become a key contributor for the Mules.

It took some time, but Monday Frazier showed why he deserves more playing time when he scored 13 points. After the win against Fort Hays, the look on Frazier's face was one of relief.

"It felt good," Frazier said. "I tried to go into the game with the same mindset, but I got a little nervous at the start of it."

And why not, after being comfortable coming off the bench for his first 50 career games.

One could say Frazier's coming out party happened Saturday against archrival Northwest Missouri State.

With the Mules struggling to score only 49 points in the loss, Frazier scored a career-high 15 points against the Bearcats, proving he has learned from the last two years how to find ways to score.

The fans were so happy to see Frazier start Monday, there were even fans at the game wearing T-shirts cheering for Frazier. They weren't the only ones happy for him, Anderson was too.

"He's worked hard, gotten stronger and now knows where to get shots," Anderson said.

He's got some confidence, and I'm really happy for him. As good as he does offensively, he really has a good understanding defensively of what he needs to do.

"He did a great job Monday, and we need to keep him going. He's earned the right to start."

Throughout his six seasons as coach, Anderson hasn't used as many different starting lineups as he has this year.

With that, I think it's time for Anderson to give Frazier a chance by keeping him in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.

Anderson has been very public this year, saying that, for the Mules to win games, he has to have players give maximum effort. This year, Frazier has done just that.

During his freshman year, Frazier suffered a broken hand that forced him to miss eight games.

Last year, he suffered a broken foot which ended his season during the midway point, so he had to sit on the bence for the Final Four.

This year, Frazier's learned from his injuries and is now ready to help his team move toward the conference season stretch.

"Lately, have been putting in a lot time practicing and shooting after practice," Frazier said. "It's helped me, and coach has given me an opportunity, so I want to take it."

After Monday's performance, Frazier sure took advantage of the opportunity, and Anderson should let him run with it.

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