For all you hoop dreaming youngsters out there, don’t just shoot. Aim. Jimmer does.
“I look right over the front of the rim,” said Jimmer Fredette, the Brigham Young superstar who brings his long-distance shooting show to the Pepsi Center tonight.
There are shooters who will target just below the back of the rim. Others have decent success looking at the hoop hole as a whole. Jimmer is pinpoint in his sights.
Whether launching off the dribble from 30, standing still at the free-throw line, floating a runner in the lane or shooting until he shoots for the 40th time, Fredette locks in on the front rim.
“I just try to place it over,” the senior guard said.
These days, everybody wants to be like Jimmer. Those who understand they can’t be Jimmer settle for just liking him. Fredette is the NCAA’s leading scorer at 28.5 points per game, even though he stands 6-foot-2, and usually nowhere near the basket.
“Best shooter in the country,” said one opponent’s scouting report, “with unlimited range!”
With his curly brown hair and fresh cheeks, Fredette looks more like a small-town, high school post player than the most talked-about player in the country.
Small-town post players, it should be noted, are often pulled off the football field. Most noticeable about Fredette’s physique are his enormous shoulders. If possible, they could be hung on a middle linebacker.
For all the superlatives that have been used to describe Fredette’s game during his wondrous final college season — his quickness off the dribble, his crossover dribble, his ability to separate off the dribble, off the screen, off way over there if need be — strength may be his most underrated asset.
Go ahead, head to the local gym and chuck up a few 3-pointers. Now, try to hoist a 3-pointer with an arc on the ball. Next, shoot a 3-pointer, with arc, while shooting with hands above the head while — and here’s where opponents are most astonished — shooting off the dribble.
Never seen a player who can shoot off the bounce with his range — only off the catch.
To all those little Jimmys out there hoping to be the next Jimmer, don’t listen to the know-it-all elders from the Baby Boomer era.
Today’s basketball players can lift weights and shoot at the same time.
Jimmer does.
“I lifted weights my whole life,” Fredette said. “Worked with my uncle, who is a personal trainer. Just on agility drills, lifting and power, different types of power, fast-twitch muscle workouts.”
And then, Fredette says, don’t forget to practice. Lift weights, practice shooting. And practice shooting with an imaginary defender to beat.
Picking up the slack
The Jimmer cult is so prodigious, even the rare opponent who has completely shut him out doesn’t remember doing any such thing.
“When did I shut him out?” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. “I’m sorry, does anybody remember that?”
It was early in Fredette’s freshman year. He came off the bench and played 12 minutes. Fired up two 3-pointers and a free throw. And missed them all.
BYU beat sixth-ranked Louisville, anyway.
He scored 52 points in a Mountain West Conference semifinal game last week against New Mexico and the Cougars won. That game was his best. His worst was a 13-point game, on just 5-of-15 shooting against Creighton. BYU still won.
“His ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter — he’s had really, really hot streaks, then times when he struggled a little bit,” BYU coach Dave Rose said. “But the ability of this team to continue to win through that, I think, is what we all hold on to. I think that’s what we base our identity upon.”
The suspension of starting center Brandon Davies has only reinforced the perception that BYU is a one-man team. Fredette has averaged 35.3 points in his last three games. Yet, BYU (30-4) enters the big tournament as a No. 3 seed going against Wofford tonight.
“When Jimmer is on, you like to keep the ball in his hands,” teammate Jackson Emery said.
NBA can wait
Can Fredette make it in the NBA? For so many college basketball fans, the question is as unfortunate as it is worthy, for it interrupts the enjoyment of watching him play now. By all accounts, Jimmer is one of the most unique players to ever play college basketball.
“I’ve obviously watched him a lot this year on television,” Pitino said. “He’s so exciting, so much fun to watch that college basketball has been taken with him.”
Critically translating Fredette’s game to the NBA will come soon enough. One more time this week at the Pepsi Center, perhaps two more times, people can watch Fredette shoot ’em up as a college player. Why not enjoy it?
Jimmer does.
“Right now, I’m focused on this tournament, this game we have ahead and what we have to accomplish here first,” he said.
Jimmer knows where to aim.
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
The Fredette file
The following are three scouting reports on Jimmer Fredette, BYU’s senior sensation, given to The Denver Post on the condition of anonymity:
Sharpshooter
Best shooter in the country with unlimited range! Can always seem to shoot a little deeper than where you pick him up.
Has really become a dangerous player using screens. They are running far more screening actions for him. Only needs a sliver of daylight to make you pay.
He has improved his strength and takes contact much better than in the past. Knows how to initiate contact and draw fouls. And he never misses when he is at the line!
Maybe his best asset is he is a KILLER! He loves the big moment.
A few things he struggles with . . . 1) He leaves his feet to pass on a regular basis and will turn the ball over. 2) He can go both ways but is much better going right . . . make him go left. 3) He has no interest in playing defense.
College scouting report
NBA material
Obviously, he’s a phenomenal scorer, and he can score a variety of ways — he’s got unlimited range. He has an ability to really play out of the screen and roll, which translates well to the NBA.
Due to his size, he’ll have to most likely play point (in NBA) because he’d be a very undersized shooting guard. As for the NBA draft, scoring is at a premium nowadays, so I don’t see him falling out of the lottery. Now, will he be top-five? Probably not. Top 10? Maybe.
NBA scout
Tough in transition
All-American! Big-time scorer. Crafty. Will shoot at any time! 3-point shooter with beyond NBA range. Loves to pull up for 3s in transition. Loves right- to-left crossover and spin move left to right. Sometimes out of control. Often jumps in the air to pass. Do not foul!
No open looks from 3! Make him a driver (stay in front).
Be in gaps and take charges.
College scouting report
