Former Arizona basketball star Channing Frye named to U of A Sports Hall of Fame

Channing Frye played in two Elite Eights for the Arizona Wildcats. He was a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. He won an NBA championship.

Now he’s headed to the UA Sports Hall of Fame.

The former Arizona basketball standout joins quarterback Nick Foles and others in a 10-member class the school is rolling out on social media this week. The final two components of the class will be revealed Thursday.

Frye played at Arizona from 2001-05, averaging 13.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 56.2% from the floor and 75.9% from the foul line. He ranks second in UA history in blocked shots and in the top 10 in multiple career categories, including points scored, field goals made, field goal percentage, rebounds, games played, games started and double-doubles.

The Wildcats accumulated a 102-31 record over Frye’s four seasons and reached the Elite Eight in 2003 and ‘05. Frye was a two-time team captain (‘04, ‘05) under Lute Olson.

A 6-11 center from St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix, Frye twice made the All-Pac-10 Team after being named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team in 2002.

Frye was a lottery pick in the ‘05 NBA Draft, going to the New York Knicks with the eighth overall selection. Frye spent two seasons in New York before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. He joined the Phoenix Suns as a free agent in 2009 and would spend time with six NBA franchises.

Frye concluded his 13-year NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom he joined in 2016. Led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers won the NBA title that year, defeating the Golden State Warriors in seven games.

Frye played a key role off the bench, averaging 6.7 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 59.4% from the field in 17 playoff appearances.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

For his career, Frye averaged 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds while developing into a “stretch five” who hit 38.8% of his 3-point attempts.

The UA put a twist on the Hall of Fame inductions with its final announcement Wednesday. The entire 2024 triathlon team is going into the Hall after winning the 23rd national championship in school history last year.

The induction ceremony will take place in November. These are the other members of the 2025 class who’d been announced as of Wednesday afternoon:

Nick Foles, football (2009-11): Arizona’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, Foles went on to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to an upset victory in Super Bowl LII — outdueling Tom Brady, earning game MVP honors and becoming the first player to throw and catch a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl.

Ben Diggins, baseball (1999-2000): Diggins played both ways for the Wildcats and was named a first-team All-American in 2000 before becoming a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Margo Geer, swimming (2010-14): Currently the head coach of swimming and diving at Alabama, Geer was a three-time national champion who holds the Arizona 100 freestyle record and was named Pac-12 Woman of the Year in 2015.

Samantha Pickens, diving (2011-15): Currently the diving coach at Liberty, Pickens was a five-time All-American, a two-time national champion and a Pac-12 Diver of the Year at Arizona.

Kevin Cordes, swimming (2011-15): The breaststroke specialist was a four-time NCAA champion, a two-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year and an Olympic gold medalist for the U.S. as a member of the 4x100 medley relay team in 2016.

Brad Tandy, swimming (2013-16): A native of South Africa, Tandy was a four-time All-American, the 2014 NCAA champion in the 50 freestyle and twice represented his home country in the Summer Olympics (2016, ‘21).