FRYE ON FIRE

FROM SINGAPORE TO TEXAS, SENIOR KELLEN FRYE IS BRINGING THE HEAT AND FINDING HIS HOME WITH FELLOW TCA BASKETBALL PLAYERS

BY JAY ATTAL, SPORTS INFORMATION & MEDIA MANAGER

“I

DON’T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING

in those moments. All I have to do when I get the ball is take my shot. The hoop looks super big, and I know it’s going to fall. It makes me feel like I’m on top of the world.”

That “can’t miss” feeling is becoming quite familiar to senior Kellen Frye. Now in his second year at TCA, the six-foot guard is finding his place in the Trojan offense. “Kellen has carved out a role for himself through a ton of hard work. His ability to catch-and-shoot really stretches the floor and keeps defenses honest,” explains Head Varsity Basketball Coach John Price.

If opponents didn’t know to close out on Frye in the preseason, they are certainly learning that lesson the hard way. Kellen connected on seven 3’s in his first varsity start on November 1 before erupting with nine against Coram Deo on November 22. The second-year Trojan is averaging close to three 3-pointers per contest (2.88) and is the latest weapon to emerge on a roster laden with talent.

“We know what he’s capable of when he gets hot. He’s a guy you definitely want to keep giving the ball to,” continues Price. “But I think his biggest improvement has come on defense. It takes time to learn our defensive concepts, and I can tell they’re becoming second nature to him.”

Kellen looks right at home at TCA. Like many of his classmates, the opportunity to join a faith-based environment dedicated to excellence in athletics and academics was too good to pass up. But the journey he took to get here is unlike any other.

“I came to TCA from Singapore. My parents had to move a lot for work, so I’ve grown up all over the place,” says Frye. “I was born in Canada and then moved to Japan. After Japan, our family moved to Singapore, where my grandparents and cousins live. Then we moved to Thailand before ultimately coming back to Singapore.”

It was Kellen’s love of basketball that convinced the Frye family to make one final move. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore enforced social-distancing restrictions that made many things—including basketball—particularly difficult. “Basketball in Singapore was limited to one-on-one practice for almost two years. The restrictions were hurting my development and making the game less fun. My parents wanted to move back to the States and decided now was the time so I could keep playing. I’ve always been part

of a Christian household, so a Christian school that would set me up for the future with good athletics and academics is what we were searching for.”

“Kellen has a lot of character,” adds Price. ”He puts everyone ahead of himself, and you can see a Christlike spirit of servanthood in him. I’ve just tried encouraging him to be who he is in Christ and help guide him through any transitional frustrations.”

And there have been a few frustrations. Basketball is played with a different style in Asia, so Kellen had to adjust on the court while also making new friends in the classroom. But he claims that the kindness of the Trojan community helped him feel comfortable. “Everyone was so nice to me when I first moved here. Obviously, I didn’t know anyone yet, so people went out of their way to introduce themselves and help me feel welcome.”

“When I was first accepted, I was buddied up with Blake [Muschalek]. He’s been driving me home after practice whenever my parents are busy. He’s just been a huge helping hand. He took me to dinner the first week I got here with Chance Snyder and Luke Johnston. They really helped me find my groove with the team.”

The kindness the team showed Kellen last year helped create a winning culture that’s beginning to bear fruit. The Trojans started the season 15-2 and are on pace to shatter the program’s 6A all-time win record by early January. “This team has a lot to prove,” continues Kellen. “We decided after a big loss to Parish that we don’t want to lose like that again. We earned a glass plaque in that tournament, and we wrote a reminder on it for the rest of the season.”

Nobody enjoys getting hot from deep more than Frye, but he and the team have bigger priorities. “Scoring 3’s is always fun, but at the end of the day we want to win. We want to make a playoff run.”

After searching across two continents and four different countries, Kellen Frye has found the home he was looking for here at TCA. He’s playing the best basketball of his career, and the Trojans are enjoying their winningest season since 2014.

It’s safe to say that final move from Singapore to Addison paid off.

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