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M E N ' S B A S K E T B A L L TURNING POINT Tim Frazier emerges as an elite Big Ten point guard With a push from his coach, N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M E 16 very Monday morning since the start of the basketball season in early November, the Big Ten has announced a Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week. The conference has made the an- nouncement a total of 15 times, giv- en out 20 awards – including co-POWs – and has recognized the best players in Big Ten basketball. Names like Draymond Green and Keith Appling of Michigan State, Jared Sullinger of Ohio State and Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin have all been given their due, but one name remains conspicuously absent as the season comes to a close: Tim Frazier Although Penn State is at the bot- tom of the conference standings as it finishes its season, a likely No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament, Fra- zier's performance has been nothing short of outstanding. The Nittany Li- ons' starting point guard has been so good this season that coach Patrick M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 1 2 Chambers recently suggested his "thoroughbred" be named the confer- ence's Newcomer of the Year – an ac- knowledgement that Green, not Fra- zier, is likely to win the conference's Player of the Year award following the regular season. "That's the easy way for everybody to get Tim an award," Chambers said. "If you look statistically at what he's done for this team and how much he means for this team, I think that's what it's supposed to be – what that one player means to their team. "After playing Michigan State, I would probably say Draymond Green would be Player of the Year and Tim would be very close to it. We can't for- get about Jared Sullinger and Jordan Taylor. They're great players, but Tim should be in the conversation. It's dis- appointing that he's not talked about more." The problem with naming Frazier the league's Newcomer of the Year is W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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