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Two short years ago, all eyes were once set on Jimmer Fredette as the iconic player suited up in blue and white for the BYU Cougars.
Despite making his jump to the NBA, Fredette's love for the Cougars has yet to diminish. In addition to a grueling professional schedule, Jimmer manages to follow his former team closely.
They need a couple big wins to get them into the NCAA tournament.
–Jimmer Fredette
"I know Coach has got them thinking they need a couple big wins to get them into the NCAA tournament. They have Gonzaga at home and St. Mary's on the road, which will be a tough one," said Fredette.
Gonzaga has dominated the Cougars since Fredette left, winning three of their last four meetings. Jimmer's senior year, the tides were turned as BYU defeated Gonzaga 89-67 in the NCAA tournament to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
The 2011 College National Player of the Year finds himself on a struggling Sacramento team (17-33) in his second NBA season and Jimmer.
Fredette still finds time to remain closely-knit to his collegiate coaches and teammates and he has enjoyed the transformation from "Jimmer-mania" to "The Wizard of Haws"
"I played with Tyler before he went on his mission... he's playing great." said Fredette. " I knew he was going to be a very good player right from the get go. He's got a smooth stroke, one or two dribble pull up, shoots it well from the three-point line. Just a tough player, moves well without the ball coming off screens. He's a tough guard and I love his game, so hopefully he continues to get better and keeps scoring."
Fredette knows the pressure of being the team's primary scoring option and likes how the sophomore Haws has embraced that role. "(BYU) definitely needs his scoring out there" said Fredette. "A guy that can stretch the floor definitely helps Brandon (Davies) on the inside because he gets double teamed a lot and he can kick it out to a couple of guys that can shoot the ball, so it's important."
Just like his well documented training regimen, there's nothing superficial about Jimmer's devotion to his alma mater.
