Blue White Illustrated

im Frazier had been thriving. Earning the NBA Development League's Performer of the Week honor for his 20.7 points, 10.7 assists, 8.0 re- bounds and 2.0 steals in three midseason games with the Maine Red Claws, the for- mer Penn State point guard was doing all the right things. In fact, the nod was his second of the season and yet more statis- tical support for his selection to the D- League All-Star Game. But the highlight of his season came when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers a;er signing a 10-day contract with the NBA team on Feb. 5. "My dream has always been to play in the NBA," he told NBA.com's Andy Jasner. "Having gone through college basketball, you focus on Penn State, and I did that through my 9ve years there and now it's time to become a professional and you focus on that. I got the call to come to the Sixers, and I'm blessed to be able to be here and play three great games." Frazier became the 31st call-up of the season, joining the team a;er Michael Carter-Williams su:ered a toe injury and 10-day signee Larry Drew II was released. He received a three-game tryout and took full advantage of the opportunity. Starting two of three games before the All-Star break, Frazier totaled 26 assists, including 11 in his debut against Boston. The 19 assists he amassed in his 9rst two games were the third-most in NBA history behind Damon Stoudamire and Jamaal Tinsley (21). His assist total surpassed those of John Wall, LeBron James and Jason Kidd in their 9rst two NBA games. Frazier helped the bottom-dwelling Six- ers defeat Charlotte in his second game, and the team was competitive in an 89- 84 loss to Golden State, which owned the league's best record heading into the All- Star break. Frazier struggled shooting (22.2 percent) during his three-game try- out, but he averaged 5.0 points in 35.7 minutes per game. He also shined in the D-League All-Star Game, 9nishing with 11 points and a game-high 10 assists in only 19 minutes of action. Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers said he was happy that Frazier has gotten a shot at ful9lling his dream. "He's the little engine that could. That's really motivating them to play defense, and the young shooters that they have on the Sixers love playing with him," Cham- bers said. "That's very obvious in the way they interact with him. He gets them open shots." Frazier, who played on the Sixers' Las Vegas Summer League team last year, was not re-signed when his contract expired. But the team could potentially sign him to another 10-day pact, or he could get a shot elsewhere. Chambers said he's con9dent the Houston native has the ability to stick. "I think the NBA game is perfect for Tim's style," Chambers said. "He's got the freakish speed, the freakish athleticism, and he can get the ball rim-to-rim faster than anybody, and when he's got shooters 9lling lanes the way they do, it's a great way to play with a kid like Tim Frazier." ■ Frazier 'blessed' to receive NBA call-up Suspended since Jan. 12 for what Penn State described in an official statement as "conduct inconsistent with team standards and values," shooting guard John Johnson had yet to return as of mid-February. If Patrick Chambers' recent com- ments are any indication, the fifth- year senior from Philadelphia may not be back at all. "He's got some things to clean up, some things to do on the outside," Chambers said at a Feb. 13 news con- ference. "With the season dwindling down, it doesn't look good. But I never say never." In 16 games with the Nittany Lions this season, Johnson averaged 20.6 minutes per game coming off the bench and was averaging 7.4 points. His 3-point shooting percentage (37.1) was the team's best, and he bettered those numbers in the three Big Ten games he played before being suspended, averaging 9.7 points while shooting 46.2 percent from 3- point range. A midseason transfer from Pitt in December 2012, Johnson appeared in 21 games last season and started two, averaging 6.7 points per game. Although Chambers has not pro- vided any specifics regarding John- son's suspension from all team activ- ities, he reiterated that certain stan- dards had not been met. But while it does not appear likely that Johnson will return, Chambers would not rule it out. The Nittany Lions are entering their final stretch of games in the Big Ten, and they will play at least one game in the conference tournament. Chambers said Johnson still has "work to do" if he wants to take part in any of those games. "Everything has been laid out, but you always want to keep the door open for kids," he said. "We all have choices that we need to make, and again, there's a standard here that he needed to keep. You're always going to leave a crack just in case all those standards are met." – N.B. | Johnson's return seen as unlikely T

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