Trent Frazier has a new jersey this season, but there’s plenty to recognize: a left-handed guard who can score, distribute and make the other end of the floor uncomfortable. His latest stop is Bologna, Italy, and Wednesday brought a tough night against one of Europe’s familiar names.
Let’s catch up with Trent, then rewind three years to a State Farm Center crowd that got quite a show from Terrence Shannon Jr. and company.
Trent’s next chapter is in Italy
Trent scored 14 points in Virtus Bologna’s 91–74 home loss to Žalgiris Kaunas on October 28. That was second on the team behind Derrick Alston Jr.’s 18; Aliou Diarra added 13.
Virtus had the start it wanted, leading 22–14 after the first quarter. Žalgiris was ahead 37–35 by halftime, though, and stretched that advantage to 65–53 entering the fourth. Jonas Valančiūnas finished with 17 points for the visitors.
Coach Alex Mumbrú’s postgame assessment was pretty direct: after that good opening quarter, Virtus couldn’t impose its pace. He pointed to the trouble Žalgiris’s size caused in the low post and on the boards, and to poor outside shooting that made it harder to open up the defense.
If your last Trent update still has him in Russia, here’s the move: Virtus announced a one-year deal on July 22. He came over from Zenit St. Petersburg, where he had played since 2023. In the preceding VTB season, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 assists and 2.3 rebounds.
His first European stop was FMP Belgrade in 2022. Then came Zenit, a Russian Cup and a VTB Supercup. Now he’s playing in Italy and in the EuroLeague, the competition that brings together clubs from across Europe. Those are separate from Virtus’s Italian league games.
The Illinois part of that résumé still holds up awfully well. Trent finished his five seasons with 1,794 points, 310 made threes, 452 assists and 207 steals. He appeared in 157 games and started 138. In his final season, he earned second-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive honors while averaging 11.6 points and 4.1 assists.
That’s a lot more than a three-point specialist. The assists and defensive recognition belong in the same conversation as all those shots we watched him make.
There isn’t much time to dwell on Wednesday. Virtus hosts Beşiktaş Istanbul on Friday, October 30, at 2:30 p.m. Central — 8:30 p.m. in Bologna. Earlier this month, in his October 15 pregame comments, Trent talked about the need to prepare mentally quickly after a difficult game, stay ready at both ends for 40 minutes, and keep the ball moving. That quick-reset approach will get another test Friday.
This Day in Illini History
October 29, 2023: Illinois 82, Kansas 75. The Maui Strong charity exhibition brought No. 1 Kansas to Champaign and raised more than $1 million for Maui wildfire relief.
Terrence Shannon Jr. supplied 28 points and five threes. Coleman Hawkins added 14 points with four threes, while Quincy Guerrier finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Domask had 11 points and five boards.
The late stretch is worth revisiting. Guerrier scored eight straight Illinois points, and the Illini kept Kansas from making a basket over the final three minutes. Illinois never trailed after halftime.
For a first look at that group against a big-name opponent, it was a fun one: Shannon attacking, Hawkins stretching the floor, Guerrier finishing possessions and Domask contributing alongside them. And the event’s fundraising total gave both schools something to celebrate, regardless of the scoreboard.