RHS graduate moving on to Marietta College

COSHOCTON – Laura Frazee always wanted to go to college and be an athlete. That dream will come true this fall when she becomes a student at Marietta College and a member of its women’s basketball team.

“I really liked the campus and I liked my coaches,” said the 2014 Ridgewood High School graduate. “I also felt really comfortable there when I visited.”

Frazee played both basketball and volleyball for Ridgewood. The Lady Generals’ volleyball team reached the state tournament final four and Frazee also had the opportunity to participate in the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star game at Wooster High School. She also earned First Team IVC and First Team District V honors.

“After volleyball ended, I got some offers to play in college,” she said. “I’d never really thought about playing volleyball in college before getting the offers. It was really tough to decide, but basketball won over. I’ve grown up playing it.”

Frazee is 5-foot-11 and is a post player. She averaged team highs of 15.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She also contributed 2.4 steals and 2.3 assists per game. She earned Special Mention All-Ohio in Division III, First Team All-IVC, First Team AP All-District and First Team District Five Coaches Association. She also participated in the District Five Coaches Association All-Star game and the elite Ohio-Indiana All-Star game.

“I’ve just worked hard and never given up,” Frazee said about her success.

Some of the highlights of her final season at Ridgewood were a 22-point effort in a Division III tournament win against Barnesville and 27 points against nonleague opponent New Lexington. She also had 20 or more points against seven teams during the season.

Frazee’s favorite memory from her senior year at Ridgewood was a home game against Indian Valley.

“I scored at the end of the game,” she said. “I had to hit a pair of free throws with like .02 seconds left. I hit them and we won.”

Frazee’s will miss the friends she made playing sports, but also is looking forward to meeting new people.

“I’m going to miss not playing with the people I grew up with, but I met my team the other day and I’m really excited to meet new people and see how it is to play with people I’ve never played with before,” she said.

Marietta is coached by Stacia Shrider and the Pioneers finished last season with an overall record of 10-15 and 4-14 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

“I think it’s every coach’s goal to see their athletes move on and there is nobody more deserving of this than Laura,” said Doug Patterson who coached Frazee at Ridgewood.

He is excited for her and believes Marietta is getting a hard worker and strong person.

“She handles the ball and shoots well,” he said. “She’s got it all.”

Frazee has appreciated Patterson’s support over the years.

“He’s always been there for me and not just for basketball-related things,” she said. “If I had a problem, I could go talk to him. He also pushed me a lot throughout the years and helped get me where I am today.”

josie@coshoctoncountybeacon.com

Category: High School, Sports