University of Florida guard Michael Frazier signed with local agent Matt Ramker with hopes that their player-agent bond will pay off at the NBA Draft this Thursday night in Brooklyn, New York. Many questioned Frazier’s decision to forgo his senior year and enter the draft early since he missed a portion of his junior year due to a severely sprained ankle in February. Florida missed the NCAA Tournament this year for the first time since 2009. Frazier was not spotted on anyone’s mock draft selections for this year’s draft when he first made his decision back in March to enter it.
With the help of Ramker as his agent by the time of the draft, Frazier will have had 14 workouts with NBA teams: Philadelphia, Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, San Antonio, Houston, Minnesota, Charlotte, Memphis, Phoenix, Detroit, Utah, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers; most importantly Frazier was able to showcase his talent at this year’s NBA combine, which many thought was not in reach for the Tampa native. “From an exposure standpoint, he’s really maxed out his opportunities,” Ramker said.
Frazier has recorded the following stats as a Florida Gator with an average of 9.9 points and 25.7 minutes per game. Frazier is now being mentioned in several mock drafts as a potential second-round pick.
Frazier is not the only local athlete that Ramker will be representing in this year’s draft. He will also be representing Louisiana Tech point guard Kenny “Speedy” Smith. Smith’s career stats are 6.2 points, 6.1 assists, and 29.4 minutes per game.
Ramker’s background in AAU sports has allowed him to be successful in his agent career. He has been involved in basketball most of his life. He and his father ran the prestigious St. Petersburg prep tournament, the Hooters Holiday Shootout, when Ramker was at Clearwater High. He was a team manager at USF and interned at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
The 2015 NBA Draft will broadcast live on ESPN from Barclays Center on Thursday at 7:00pm ET with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers with the top 2 picks.