Chester Frazier Re-Joins Men’s Basketball Staff

Mike Young has brought back one of his top assistant hires

Chester Frazier has been brought back to Blacksburg as part of a revitalization of the men’s basketball program under Mike Young. The experienced assistant spent two seasons on the Virginia Tech staff between 2019-2021. 

Since then, Frazier spent the 2021-2024 season at his alma mater, Illinois, helping Brad Underwood steer talented Illini teams to the NCAA tournament in all his seasons in Champagne. Last season, Frazier was named Associate Head Coach at West Virginia. The Mountaineers saw a substantial improvement year over year after Frazier’s arrival, rising in the final KenPom Rankings from #144 in 2024 to #52 in 2025. 

Prior to his time in Blacksburg, Frazier was a longtime assistant coach at Kansas State from 2012-2019. All told, Frazier has been on staff for 9 NCAA Tournament teams in his 13 years of collegiate coaching. 

As a player at Illinois, Frazier earned All-Big Ten Defensive team honors in two seasons, and All-Big Team Honorable Mention in one. 

In his new role as Associate Head Coach, Frazier will act as the primary recruiter for the Hokies while taking a broader role overseeing overall on court strategy. Previously, Frazier has acted as a primarily defensive coach. 

Frazier, as both a player and a coach, has brought a gritty defensive intensity to his teams. West Virginia rose from #178 in KenPom‘s adjusted defensive rating to finish the 2024 season to #14 this season. In fact, in Frazier’s decade plus of coaching his teams have been exquisite defensively (2025 Virginia Tech shown for reference):

Frazier’s first order of business will be rebuilding a Hokie roster to compete in the ACC. Athletic Director Whit Babcock has confirmed in a recent interview with Andy Bitter of Tech Sideline what sources within and around the program have been stating in recent recent months that there will be a significant increase in NIL budget as well as continued support to retain top talent.