Quick Chat: J.J. Frazier

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

J.J. Frazier grew up about 60 miles west of Savannah, Ga., in the tiny town of Glennville — a place he once described as being about the size of the Georgia men's basketball team's practice gym. Now the former Bulldog great is living about a 25-minute train ride from one of the most cosmopolitan places on the planet, Milan, Italy.

Frazier, who wrapped up his stellar Bulldog career in 2017, is living in the northern Italian city of Treviglio, and he's about to begin his second stint with the Italian Series A2 club Blu Basket Treviglio. The 5-foot-10 point guard — on his club's website his position is listed as "playmaker" — ranks among Georgia's top 10 in numerous categories, including career points, assists and steals.

An exciting and charismatic player, and one never afraid to take the big shot at the end of games, Frazier was a Georgia fan favorite. Odds are, the Italians like him, too. Last season while playing with the club Scafati 1969 — Scafati is a city in southern Italy, not far from Naples — Frazier averaged 18.2 points, 5.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds a game

During an intercontinental FaceTime Quick Chat on Tuesday, Frazier talked about life in Italy, being the only American on an Italian team, his Georgia days, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:

Frierson: Where are you right now?

Frazier: I'm in Treviglio, up in northern Italy. I love it out here. I was here back in 2018, my first year out of college.

Frierson: What is it like being there now, in terms of the pandemic and in terms of playing ball?

Frazier: Now, compared to 2018, obviously COVID is the biggest change for me. Nothing much has changed outside of trying to stay clear of COVID. I'm more comfortable here now, obviously, because I've spent more time in Italy. This is my fourth straight year playing in Italy, so I'm comfortable in Italy, but as far as being overseas and being away from home, it's all the same.

Frierson: For somebody that grew up in the really small town of Glennville, to be living in Italy off and on for several years now, what is that experience like?

Frazier: It's fun, it's fun. I joke and tell people all the time that I'm Italian now. I've been here so long that it feels like it. It's been fun. I never thought that I'd get to experience what I'm experiencing and the different cultures and different countries, so it's been a joy for me, honestly.

Whenever the ball decides to be flattened for me, I promise it's been a heck of a ride for me for sure.

Frierson: How is your Italian?

Frazier: I understand them better than I can speak it. I'm not as confident in speaking it, just enunciating and stuff. Certain words that I know, especially on the basketball court, if my teammates speak Italian I understand it. It's more difficult for me to actually speak it than to understand it.

I know a lot of words, but I always use it in the wrong context or something like that. Then it's just like, I don't want to speak it. But when an Italian is speaking to me, I pretty much understand 80 percent. If it's someone that's speaking really fast, then I don't understand anything. Other than that, I'm pretty good with understanding what they're saying.

Frierson: You can't talk about Italy without talking about the food, so how are you enjoying all the food over there.

Frazier: That's the best the about it, the food. Great food, and the city that I'm in, there are wonderful people. I told (associate sports communications director) Mike Mobley the other day, it's almost like being back at Georgia with the way they treat me out here.

I love the food, I really do — pasta, steak, all of it.

Frierson: Are you the only American on the team?

Frazier: I am the only American this year and that's an adjustment in itself. Normally, there is at least one other American, but now I have none, so this is really testing my leadership and testing my adjustability to things. This is going to be a fun year for me, for sure.

Frierson: When you think back to your Georgia days, and finishing in the top 10 in all of those different categories, what stands out to you? You've got to have a ton of reasons to be proud of what you did here.

Frazier: Honestly, I'm not one to brag, I'm really not. I think I played so hard that the numbers are just going to fall wherever they fell. I think once I started to play and play a lot, the numbers were just easy because I played so hard. So for me, the most impressive thing is that I was given an opportunity to play as many minutes and clutch minutes as I did, because early on, man, it was like I was never going to play.

Charles Mann was only one year ahead of me, so I really could have been on the bench for three years and only really played one year. It's just the perseverance of me keeping my head down and overcoming some things, that's what I'm most proud of. ... I would have liked to have won more games and gone deeper into the NCAA tournament, but coming from where I came from and having no expectations, being in the record books forever means a lot to me.

Frierson: When was the last time you were back here in the States?

Frazier: I came home back in February, right before it was hit with COVID, because Italy was hit with COVID first. I came home right before it and I was home until late September. I only did about a week and a half of the pandemic here in Italy and then I came home.

Frierson: I looked on your team's website and I saw that your position is called "playmaker," which I thought was a perfect description of you. Is that what they call a point guard? What is a "playmaker" over there?

Frazier: It's a little bit of everything. They label their guards a little different here, they'll label me a "playmaker" and label another point guard who doesn't probably pass as much as me as a guard. It's like, whatever the play is that's being made, that's where I am. Because I am a scorer and I can also pass, they label me a "playmaker" — it's not just a point guard.

Frierson: How are you a better player now than you were at Georgia?

Frazier: I'm smarter now but I don't think I'm a better player. With time, obviously, you become smarter with what you do, and that's all I've done. I think I enjoyed basketball more at Georgia because it was a genuine thing, it wasn't about money. Once you get money put involved with something, it always lessens the value, I feel.

That's why I came back to Treviglio, because this is the closest thing I've felt (to playing for Georgia). We just want to win basketball games — a no-matter-what-it-takes type of culture, that's what I want to be a part of.

Frierson: What is your social life like in Treviglio? What do you do when you're not training, playing or traveling?

Frazier: I have a good time, man [laughs]. I have a good time, for sure. I go out, I eat, I hang out. For me, this is my life. I've been in this spot for two years so I'm familiar with a lot of it, so I hang out in Milan and I have Italian friends that are out here, too. I have fun just like I would if I was in the States.

Frierson: What do you find yourself missing after you've been back in Italy for a while?

Frazier: I just miss the satisfaction of knowing that I'm home. There's nothing that beats the comfort level of being home, where you're from and where you grew up, or what you've become attached to. I think that's the biggest thing for me when I'm back home, there are less worries.

Frierson: It's an interesting balance, I think, because over there you're getting the experience of a lifetime living in a different country and playing basketball for a living, but you're also giving up some things to do that.

Frazier: It's a sacrifice, man. This basketball overseas life isn't for everybody, it's really not. It tests your faith in basketball, it tests your faith generally, but if you love the game and love to compete, this is the sacrifice you have to make, for sure.

Frierson: This has been a lot of fun, now please go and enjoy some delicious pasta or pizza for me.

Frazier: Will do. Will do.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.

University of Georgia Athletics

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