Could BYU’s Jimmer Fredette be this year’s Stephen Curry?
Oklahoma City — Ready to meet this year’s Stephen Curry?
It could be BYU’s 6-foot-2 guard Jimmer Fredette, who plays against Florida in today’s first NCAA Tournament game in Oklahoma City at 11:20 a.m.*
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* — Update: Thanks to our own Nick Krug for giving me some great photos of Fredette from today’s game.
Fredette, who is averaging 21.7 points and 4.9 assists per game, told me Wednesday that he wouldn’t mind becoming like Curry was for tiny Davidson two years ago — a go-to scorer that helped a mid-major team advance to the later stages of the tournament.
“I hope so. That’s the plan,” Fredette said. “We definitely want to go out and advance in this tournament. If I have to have big games in order to do that, then I’ll do that.”
Want toughness? Fredette’s got it. He used to play pickup basketball with his brother and father at prisons around his hometown of Glen Falls, N.Y.
Want scoring? Fredette is one of the most lethal in the country. Not only does he make 44.8 percent of his threes, he’s also a danger to drive and get to the free-throw line. He draws 6.8 fouls per 40 minutes played (39th nationally) and on top of that, makes 89.6 percent of his free throws.
Want a strong performer on a big stage? Well, Fredette scored 49 points at Arizona this year — a new McKale Center record.
Still, almost no one east of the Rockies seems to know about the kid.
“It’s great,” Fredette said about his anonymity. “I’m an East coast kid. I’m from New York. Some of that area knows about me. I’m starting to get more recognition. I like it. It’s not a big deal to me.”
If the West region plays out the crazy way that I’ve predicted, Fredette might get all the recognition that he’s ever dreamed of over the next few weeks.