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SDSU signs N.Y. native
CHRIS SOLARI
csolari@argusleader.com
Published: 05/26/05
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...47/1002/SPORTS
Jose Frias went a lot of places and a long way from home to reach his dream of playing Division I basketball.
Frias signed a Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play for Scott Nagy and the South Dakota State men's basketball team next season.
A 6-foot-1, 185-pound New York City native, Frias did not play in college last season and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"It worked out, because I am a Division I player. It was just a matter of how the chips fell," 23-year-old Frias said. "(The Jackrabbits) have a real young team, and I consider myself a veteran, a leader."
In its first Division I season, SDSU went 10-18 in 2004-05, the school's worst record since ending the 1989-90 season 8-19. The Jacks competed in some of their games at the new level but struggled with a limited amount of guards, something that Nagy said he never wants to endure again.
"Jose is seasoned," Nagy said. "He's different than the other kids that we have. We only have one guard - Andy Kleinjan - who has been with us for more than one year. This guy (Frias) gives us some age that we need, some experience."
Frias graduated in 2002 from Hyde School in Woodstock, Conn., where he scored 1,037 career points. He said he went to the prep school to improve his grades before college.
Frias went to NAIA Division II school Maine-Fort Kent in the 2002-03 school year before leaving for California, where he enrolled at Allen Hancock Community College in Santa Monica. For Hancock in the 2003-04 season, he averaged 11 points, five assists and 2.8 steals per game for a 15-13 team.
Frias said he moved home to New York City to be with his mother, who was sick at the time. In the interim, he has been playing in leagues around the Big Apple.
"He's from the streets of New York - he's always been tested," said Rich Hughes, Frias' coach at Hancock. "Every time he plays there, he's always getting competition. It's good for him, because that's where his bravado comes from. He's not cocky, but he's very sure of himself."
Frias is the fifth player to sign with the Jacks. The others are 6-8 forward Mohamed Berte, who is transferring from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa; 6-10 forward Robert Bilitz from West Lutheran High in Plymouth, Minn; 6-10 forward Mark Engen from Red Rock Central High in Lamberton, Minn.; and 6-foot Canadian guard Cam Hornby from Winnipeg.
CHRIS SOLARI
csolari@argusleader.com
Published: 05/26/05
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...47/1002/SPORTS
Jose Frias went a lot of places and a long way from home to reach his dream of playing Division I basketball.
Frias signed a Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play for Scott Nagy and the South Dakota State men's basketball team next season.
A 6-foot-1, 185-pound New York City native, Frias did not play in college last season and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"It worked out, because I am a Division I player. It was just a matter of how the chips fell," 23-year-old Frias said. "(The Jackrabbits) have a real young team, and I consider myself a veteran, a leader."
In its first Division I season, SDSU went 10-18 in 2004-05, the school's worst record since ending the 1989-90 season 8-19. The Jacks competed in some of their games at the new level but struggled with a limited amount of guards, something that Nagy said he never wants to endure again.
"Jose is seasoned," Nagy said. "He's different than the other kids that we have. We only have one guard - Andy Kleinjan - who has been with us for more than one year. This guy (Frias) gives us some age that we need, some experience."
Frias graduated in 2002 from Hyde School in Woodstock, Conn., where he scored 1,037 career points. He said he went to the prep school to improve his grades before college.
Frias went to NAIA Division II school Maine-Fort Kent in the 2002-03 school year before leaving for California, where he enrolled at Allen Hancock Community College in Santa Monica. For Hancock in the 2003-04 season, he averaged 11 points, five assists and 2.8 steals per game for a 15-13 team.
Frias said he moved home to New York City to be with his mother, who was sick at the time. In the interim, he has been playing in leagues around the Big Apple.
"He's from the streets of New York - he's always been tested," said Rich Hughes, Frias' coach at Hancock. "Every time he plays there, he's always getting competition. It's good for him, because that's where his bravado comes from. He's not cocky, but he's very sure of himself."
Frias is the fifth player to sign with the Jacks. The others are 6-8 forward Mohamed Berte, who is transferring from Indian Hills Community College in Iowa; 6-10 forward Robert Bilitz from West Lutheran High in Plymouth, Minn; 6-10 forward Mark Engen from Red Rock Central High in Lamberton, Minn.; and 6-foot Canadian guard Cam Hornby from Winnipeg.
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