VIDEO: Illini Coach Brad Underwood on Signing of Alfonso Plummer & Return of Trent Frazier
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois head coach Brad Underwood spoke to national, local and statewide media via Zoom video on April 19.
Illinois announced Wednesday the signing of Utah graduate transfer guard Alfonso Plummer and senior guard Trent Frazier electing to return for a sixth season of college basketball.
Plummer is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound shooting guard from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, who played at Utah the last two years. He appeared in 25 games with 17 starts this past season, ranking second on the Utes in scoring with an average of 13.6 points. The sharpshooter drained 64 three-pointers on 38.3% accuracy (64-167), leading the Pac-12 with 2.6 made treys per game.
Plummer scored in double figures 18 times on the year, with four outings of 20-plus points. He scored a season-high 23 points at Colorado (1/30), making 8-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three, and 3-of-3 at the foul line. He set a season best with six treys against Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Utah Utes guard Alfonso Plummer (25) drives with the ball defended by Stanford Cardinal guard Daejon Davis (1) during the first half of a 2021 game at Maples Pavilion.
Darren Yamashita/USA TODAY Sports
Plummer averaged 8.4 points in 26 games during the 2019-20 season, shooting 42 percent from 3-point range (50-119). He erupted for a career-high 35 points in the Pac-12 Tournament versus Oregon State (3/11/20), draining 11 threes in 16 attempts. The 11 triples set Utah and Pac-12 Conference single-game records for made 3-pointers, and was the most in the NCAA on the season.
During his two-year Utah career, Plummer averaged 11.0 points and shot 39.9% from behind the arc (114-286).
"We are thrilled to welcome Alfonso Plummer to the Fighting Illini and add one of the best shooters in the country to our lineup," Underwood said in a university release. "He is a proven scorer at this level, as evidenced by the shooting numbers he put up every night against Pac-12 competition. Alfonso's experience and high basketball IQ, combined with his explosive scoring ability, make him a great fit for our multi-guard offense."
Prior to Utah, Plummer played two years at Arizona Western College. He averaged 18.6 points as a sophomore, earning NJCAA Div. I All-America accolades, and netted 14.9 points as a freshman.
Frazier announced with a video on his social media accounts Saturday that he will return for the 2021-22 season.
Frazier has had a stellar career with the Illini, starting 108 of 126 games and totaling 1,434 points to rank 19th on the school's all-time scoring list. He also is the No. 4 three-point shooter in school history with 247 treys and No. 7 in career steals with 166.
Frazier earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team and received honorable mention all-conference honors this past season. He was the Illini's third-leading scorer, averaging 10.2 points, while leading the team in 3-pointers (55) and steals (39). He scored in double figures 14 times, highlighted by a season-high 24 points in the victory over No. 7 Iowa and 22 points in the blowout win at No. 2 Michigan.
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) takes a shot as Loyola (Il) Ramblers forward Aher Uguak (30) attempts a block during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Alton Strupp/IndyStar
Frazier helped lead Illinois to a 24-7 record, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship. The Illini earned an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed and set a school record by defeating six top-10 teams during the season. Illinois finished the year at No. 4 in kenpom, the second-highest rating in program history.
Frazier emerged on the scene as a rookie, earning 2018 Big Ten All-Freshman Team and honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades. He was second on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, the sixth-highest average by an Illini freshman. He set his career high with 32 points against Wisconsin, the No. 4 single-game UI freshman scoring performance, and set his career high with seven 3-pointers against both the Badgers and Iowa.
Frazier averaged a career-best 13.7 points as a sophomore, once again garnering honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition. He made 80 treys to rank ninth on the Illini single-season list and set a season high with 30 points at Minnesota. He then averaged 9.1 points as a junior, helping the Illini to a 21-10 record and final ranking of No. 21.