Christensen: A Name You Won't Soon "Fredette"

By Todd Christensen
April 5, 2011

When sportswriters have a tendency to wax rhapsodic they might refer to a year as "magical."

The Naismith Award was given to Jimmer Fredette of BYU as the player of the year in college basketball for the 2010-2011 season. This is arguably basketball's version of the Heisman Trophy and, despite stiff competition as well as having to fight the ongoing bias of not being a part of one of the major conferences, the Glen Falls, New York native was quite deserving.

But it wasn't just the leading the nation in scoring at 29 points a clip or his making jump shots from another area code. It was how he carried himself and how he became a pied piper for many college fans not only throughout the Conference but throughout the nation.

"Jimmermania" was lapped up by most every significant national media outlet. He became such a phenomenon that none other than ESPN actually had a section for him on their bottom line!

No doubt his first name had something to do with the seemingly sudden notoriety, not to mention his wavy-haired good looks and infectious smile. Having said that, substance did indeed supersede style as his game and joie de vivre' filled opposing arenas and had the Marriott Center with its capacity of nearly 23,000 fans overflowing in Provo.

If I could pick one play that personified his season, it would be the 40-foot shot he made at the end of the first half against Utah at the Huntsman Center. The camera was right on top of him, but instead of screaming at the top of his lungs or beating his chest or flicking his jersey, he simply turned around and headed for the locker room with a look on his face that said, "I expected that to go in."

It could be argued that not only is he the greatest player in the history of the Conference but also in the history of BYU. Regardless of that discussion, he provided otherworldly thrills for many and, as a result, he‘s a young man that will be remembered long after his last free throw.

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