Difference between revisions of "Jimmer Fredette"

Revision as of 09:15, 22 March 2011

Jimmer Fredette, BYU basketball star

James "Jimmer" Fredette is a collegiate basketball player setting records and gaining wins during the 2010-2011 season for Brigham Young University (ranked 7th in February, 2011). Fredette was born on February 25, 1989, in Glens Falls, New York, to Al and Kay Fredette. He is the youngest of three children. Fredette was active and competitive from toddlerhood. At age five, he was able to make 3-pointers. He was creative at navigating around much older and larger players on the court, including his older brother. From age ten, he set his sights on the NBA. His parents did whatever was necessary to foster their son's abilities and goals.

Fredette weighs 195 lb. and stands 6'2" tall. While in high school, he was named one of the 75 best shooting guards by ESPN. He was the leading scorer at Glens Falls High School. Scoring 2,404 points, he was ranked seventh in New York’s all-time scoring list. New York State Sportswriters Association named Jimmer as first-team all-state. He played AAU for the Albany City Rocks alongside current Penn State University point guard Talor Battle. Fredette averaged 25 points per game to help the Rocks to a third-place win over the Minnesota Magic at the 2006 AAU National Championships. He also lit up the Sportsfest Tournament at Cedar Beach in Allentown, PA during a prestigious outdoor summer tournament.

Since Marty Haws earned recognition in 1990, Fredette is the first point guard to earn all conference first team honors (2008-2009). After serving his team well in 2009-2010, his senior year, 2010-2011, is proving to be Jimmer's best, and he's all over the newspapers. BYU is ranked seventh in the country. On January 26, 2011, in the Mountain West Conference's first battle of top-10 teams, and attracting a crowd of over 22,700 at BYU's Marriott Center, Jimmer scored 43 points against previously unbeaten San Diego State, ending the game in a 71-58 victory. This was his third game this season to score over 40 points. [1] After his 40, 43, and 47-point games, the media attention around Jimmer became significant. He is now the leading candidate for 2010-11 NCAA Basketball Player of the Year.

On December 8, 2010, he returned to his hometown of Glens Falls to play Vermont in the Glens Falls Civic Center, scoring 26 and attracting a crowd of 6,300, nearly half of Glens Falls' population of 14,354. He is the number one ranked point guard in the nation according to Rivals.com. He became the Mountain West Conference's all-time leading scorer on Feb. 5, 2011 with a 29-point performance versus UNLV in the Marriott Center.

Jimmer Fredette's father converted to Mormonism at age 18, but his mother is Catholic. The parents encouraged their children to choose a religion, and Jimmer and both of his siblings chose Mormonism. Jimmer's older brother, T.J., is a rapper, and his sister, Lindsay, was Miss Teen New York in 1998.

• Fredette becomes part of pop culture lore