It’s been a year to remember for Waverly-Shell Rock basketball standout Luke Frazell. On Dec. 17, Frazell scored 44 points in a win against Cedar Rapids Jefferson to break the school’s single game scoring record. Four days later, in a game against Caledonia High School out of Minnesota, Frazell joined the 1,000 career points club.
Against Jefferson, Frazell broke Fred Grawe’s record, which stood for 58 years, of 43 points in a game. Frazell shot 13-of-17 from the field, including an outstanding 8-of-11 from the 3, which also tied the school record for 3-point field goals in a game, and 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
Frazell said that his shots during the game all came in the flow of the offense, and that everyone was getting great shots all game.
“I feel like as a team we were getting really good, open shots [against Cedar Rapids Jefferson]. The three point shot was definitely feeling good. It definitely has to be [one of my best nights shooting]. I’ve had some other good nights but this was one of best for sure,” Frazell described.
Head Coach Nate Steege shared Frazell’s sentiments on the game.
“Our offense is designed to get great shots for whoever is in the position. Luke was in the right spots at the right time. When we play in transition it’s really hard to guard Luke, and I thought we did a great job of playing in transition and finding the open shooter,” Steege said.
The points came so naturally in fact, that Frazell wasn’t even aware that he had broken the record.
“I actually had zero idea [that I had broke the record]. I didn’t find out until someone had told me later that night,” Frazell said.
Just a few days later, Frazell became the ninth Go-Hawk in history to reach the 1,000 career points milestone. Frazell spoke on what reaching the milestone meant to him.
“It’s definitely cool. If you look at the history of Waverly basketball, there are some great players who have gotten it in the past, and it makes all the hard work worth it,” said Frazell.
Frazell first exploded onto the scene in 2022. As just a sophomore, Frazell averaged 12.2 points per game and totaling 280 points on the season. Even more impressive, Frazell shot 48.6% on 3-point shots, good enough for fifth in class 3A.
It would be the 2023 season where Frazell would break out on a statewide level. As a team, the Go-Hawks made their way to the state championship game, where they fell one point shy of bringing home a state championship.
There, Frazell was named to the all-tournament team, where he averaged 17.3 points across his team’s 3 state playoff games. This included a 31 point performance in their semifinal game against MOC-Floyd Valley.
It was the conclusion to an incredible season for Frazell. He scored 485 total points, sixth in school history for a single season, and averaged 18.7 per game to lead the team. He was also named second team all state by the Iowa Sports Writers Association and the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Now in his senior year, Frazell is having his best season yet. In just 11 games, Frazell has 288 total points and is averaging 26.2 per game. At this rate, Frazell is on pace to break the school’s single-season total points record during the regular season.
It isn’t just on the court that he has left an impression. Coach Steege talked about Frazell’s work ethic off the court, and how he isn’t surprised by Frazell’s accolades.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I number the amount of players on one hand, maybe one finger, that have put in the amount of work that [Luke] has. In the off-season, in the mornings, after school, the guy is a gym rat, and typically when you work that hard it’s going to pay off,” Steege detailed.
With all of this success, many people around W-SR basketball will be wondering what is next for Frazell. For now, Frazell didn’t share any potential suitors at the collegiate ranks, but says he has been in contact with coaches, and is keeping his options open.
For now, Frazell has plenty of time left in the 2024-25 season to weigh his options, continue to climb the record book, and cement his name as one of the greatest players in W-SR history.
