Meet the coach developing future UK player Somto Cyril. ‘We’re enjoying what we’re seeing.’

Corey Frazier’s job at Overtime Elite centers around setting his players up for future basketball success.

Lexington just happens to be the next destination for at least one of Frazier’s star players, which means UK basketball has a strong interest in his current job duties.

Frazier is a first-year head coach at Overtime Elite (OTE), the Atlanta-based program that has become a significant player in the basketball landscape.

Amen and Ausar Thompson went from the OTE setup to the fourth and fifth overall picks in June’s NBA draft, while several players now in college basketball — including star UK freshman guard Rob Dillingham — honed their craft inside the 24/7 basketball environment at OTE.

As a pro-skills trainer at OTE, Frazier played a role in all of their successes. Now as a head coach with the RWE team, Frazier is playing an even more direct role in shaping future basketball stars.

“We don’t have a lot of time, but we have more time in the day than most environments. So the biggest thing is trying to get (players) to level up,” Frazier told the Herald-Leader in a one-on-one interview this month at OTE.

Those interested in Kentucky basketball — coaches, fans and players alike — all have a heightened interest in Frazier as well. His RWE team includes 2024 UK signee center Somto Cyril and 2024 UK recruit wing Karter Knox, who has the Wildcats among his final four options for post-OTE playing destinations.

Frazier has worked with Cyril since September 2022, while Knox is only a few months into his OTE experience.

But after the Herald-Leader spoke extensively with Frazier and Knox this month at the OTE facility in Atlanta’s Atlantic Station neighborhood, one thing stood out: Frazier is a detail-oriented coach, one that makes sure his players are establishing solid basketball fundamentals under his guidance.

“I’m blessed to be coached by one of the best coaches here (in) Coach Frazier,” Knox said following an OTE game. “He pushes me every day, got me working, got me in position to where I might need to be in the NBA, getting me ready for the next level, working me out (like) crazy. It’s all going to come together.”

UK coaches in communication with Frazier about player development

Before Frazier became a coach and trainer, he was a standout player in his own right.

As a college basketball guard at Saint Louis, Frazier played in 77 career games for the Billikens. This included a trip to the 1998 NCAA Tournament, in which Saint Louis lost to UK’s “Comeback Cats” national championship team in the second round.

Frazier’s time as a coach has included a lengthy run as a state-title winning high school coach in the St. Louis area, as well as with the renowned Bradley Beal Elite travel basketball organization.

At OTE, Frazier’s experience shows in detailed practice sessions and stern communication with players.

If something isn’t being done well on the court — or well enough to Frazier’s liking — then you’ll hear about it. And so will everybody within earshot.

“He snaps on me every time, almost,” Knox said with a smile about Frazier’s intense practices and coaching methods. “… He gives me tips. He’s always a helpful person to talk to about the league, what should I do to get better at my game.”

Frazier’s initial foray into OTE coaching came this summer, when he oversaw Team Overtime in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a summer basketball competition during which Cyril made history as the first amateur to play in TBT.

When speaking to the Herald-Leader and other media members in Dayton, Ohio, prior to that competition in July, Cyril praised the guidance he’d received from Frazier in both his capacity as a skill developer and a coach.

“I’m fortunate to have coaches around me (that) help me develop my offensive mindset, make plays and let the team run plays through me and stuff like that,” Cyril said. “So I feel like at the end of the day, when I’m ready to go to college, I will be the best version of myself.”

Kentucky’s coaches are also, obviously, in the position of wanting Cyril (currently sidelined with a left hand injury) to be as polished as he can be upon arrival in Lexington next year.

UK head coach John Calipari and associate coach Orlando Antigua both stopped by the OTE facility this month to check in on Cyril and Knox prior to Kentucky’s CBS Sports Classic win over North Carolina.

Calipari and Antigua watched Knox play with RWE, while also taking time to talk with Cyril. Antigua and Cyril had a lengthy one-on-one conversation, and Cyril was in attendance behind the UK bench for that aforementioned win over UNC.

And what the Kentucky coaches have seen from Cyril so far, they’ve liked.

“I actually got a text from one of the (Kentucky) coaches that was like, ‘Hey, we’re enjoying what we’re seeing,’” Frazier said.

“’This is exactly where we’re going to play him next year.’ So it was big to get that to let us know we’re working on the right path to help him get better.”

Frazier added that once OTE postseason play begins next year, he plans to dive deeper with the UK coaching staff as to what they specifically want Cyril to work on ahead of his college career.

“Right now, we’re just going to stick to the fundamental things and make sure he’s good on his fundamentals,” Frazier said of Cyril, who was OTE’s Defensive Player of the Year last season after averaging more than six rebounds and three blocks per game.

Frazier continues to foster the UK-Overtime Elite connection

The link between Frazier and Kentucky is emblematic of the growing connection between UK and OTE.

In addition to Dillingham and (soon) Cyril, another UK player, freshman Jordan Burks, played in the OTE league last season with Hillcrest Prep, an Arizona-based school.

Burks led OTE in scoring during both the regular season and playoffs.

“It was a great experience. I got to see all my measurements, my pros and cons,” Burks said over the summer on the “Paper Route” show as part of the I Am Athlete podcast. “To go against lottery picks (like) the Thompson twins. … It also humbled me, because I’ve got to work on other things: I’ve got to rebound, play better defense, be a better teammate. (There were) highs and lows in the process, and it prepared me for the next journey.”

The Wildcats are far from the only brand-name college basketball program keen on recruiting the talented players at OTE.

In addition to Cyril — who told the Herald-Leader earlier this year that he didn’t want to enroll early at UK so he could continue his basketball development at OTE — the following OTE league players have signed with high-major programs: Guard Trey Parker (N.C. State), guard Jaeden Mustaf (Georgia Tech), guard Ian Jackson (North Carolina), forward Jahki Howard (Auburn), center John Bol (Ole Miss) and center Peyton Marshall (Missouri).

The OTE Fall Combine earlier this year included representatives from more than 70 colleges and nearly every NBA franchise. UK’s Antigua and Louisville head coach Kenny Payne were among them.

Circling back to Cyril and Knox, Frazier detailed to the Herald-Leader what he’s focused on with each player in recent months in Atlanta.

For Cyril, giving consistent effort has been point of emphasis.

“At this level, and especially the level (he is) trying to get to, you can’t just show up because you’re big, you’re more athletic. There’s a skill to it,” Frazier said. “You’ve got to focus on those skills, and developing those skills, being consistent with development, and then let it carry over to the games.”

Cyril’s defensive prowess is unquestioned, but it’s his emerging offensive game that has analysts most intrigued: Across 11 preseason and regular season OTE games this season, Cyril is averaging more than 12 points per game.

This included a noteworthy 17-point, 18-rebound outing against a team representing Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, which boasts top class of 2025 power forward prospect Cameron Boozer, a UK recruit and a son of former NBA all-star Carlos Boozer.

When asked about Cyril’s ongoing offensive emergence, Frazier said the biggest leap has come in his screening ability.

“He’s gotten so much better in his screening, getting out of the screen and finding the open creases in the defense,” Frazier said. “… When he’s motivated, now it’s quick screen, get out, quick lobs. It allows our guards to get to different spots and do a lot of things. (Cyril) has improved his passing, way better than he did last year.”

For Knox, the main priority is altering his shot diet to become a more efficient offensive player, as well as continuing to give continued on-court effort, in particular on defense.

Frazier has assigned the following player comps for Knox: Paul Pierce on offense and Metta Sandiford-Artest — formerly known as Ron Artest — on defense.

“He’s starting to learn the game through a different lens, which is good to see,” Frazier said, adding that Knox is continuing to learn how to use his body to put himself in more advantageous offensive positions. “… We’re challenging him on a lot of things.”

While the basketball world takes note of what the Thompson twins are doing in the NBA as ambassadors for the OTE program, the Kentucky coaching staff will continue to have its eyes, literally, on Frazier and RWE in anticipation of next season in Lexington.

And up close, Cyril and Knox are taking away life lessons, on and off the court, from Frazier.

“Confidence,” Knox quickly answered when asked by the Herald-Leader about what he’s learned the most from Frazier over the last few months. “Even if I miss a shot, miss two or three shots, he always tells me, ‘Keep shooting. Get to the rim.’”

UK’s next game

Illinois State at No. 8 Kentucky

When: 7 p.m. Friday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1

Records: Illinois State 8-4, Kentucky 9-2

Series: Kentucky leads 1-0

Last meeting: Kentucky won 75-63 on Nov. 30, 2015, in Lexington

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