Working diligently on his agility and strength, Kenny Frease feels like he is becoming a new player. A skilled 6-foot-11, 255-pound center from Perry High School in Massillon, Ohio, Frease also told Rivals.com that one school is his favorite while several others are working hard to land him.

"My favorite school has always been and still is Xavier," said Frease, the No. 30 ranked prospect in the class of 2008. "Notre Dame and Michigan are in close company. I'm also supposed to go to Michigan State this fall, and in the spring, I'm planning to visit Kentucky."

Despite some naysayers, Frease is not at all concerned with the fact that Xavier doesn't play in a power conference.

"People are saying I wouldn't get enough looks or good enough competition, but Xavier plays a great out of conference schedule," said Frease. "If you're good enough to play in the NBA, they are going to know about you.

"When I look at the coaches at Xavier, I can't find anything negative about any one of the coaches. And I just love hanging out with the team. They are an unbelievable bunch of guys.

"Now, I also had a great time with the Michigan players when I visited there. And Coach Amaker and Coach Moore are both just unbelievable guys."

More important to Frease than his recruiting are the improvements he has made in his athleticism over the past couple months.

"I've been working hard with a personal trainer, and it's unbelievable the difference it has made," he said. "Our girl's coach saw me play for the first time in about three months, and he couldn't believe how much better I am looking. I'm running better, defending better and dunking better than I've ever dunked. I used to run sort of hunched over, but now I'm running with much better form and posture."

Poised and decisive with the ball, Frease can score with an array of post moves to either shoulder. He also is a threat with his ability to knock down the three-pointer. In the process of getting stronger and more explosive, Frease needs to improve in running the court and defending on the perimeter.