The algorithm that's equal parts crafty shooter, cold-blooded attitude, small conference phenom and downright cute has forced Jimmer Fredette to burst onto the national sports scene. It may be awhile before we see a character like him again.
From cult hero to mainstream sports star, Jimmer Fredette captivated what felt like the entire world last week following a 43-point performance against then-undefeated San Diego State. It was the greatest two hours in the history of CBS College Sports, and inspired the scribes to be turn their eloquence up a few notches on a sport usually not given space on the newspaper canvas until the start of spring.
Following BYU’s victory over the Aztecs Fredette’s game and persona was dissected ad nauseum. Bob Ryan called him "an old-fashioned, well-rounded, maniacal scorer." Dick Harmon called him "a brand that works." And our own Sean Keeley pegged Jimmer as "The Anti-Jay Cutler." Fredette was also called a lot of other things that, when aggregated together, just confused people.
Nonetheless, the point was made. It’s clear Fredette is not only very good, he’s one of the most quintessential and fascinating college basketball players in at least the past decade. He might be one of the most quintessential college basketball players ever; you’ll be hard-pressed to grovel a comparison of the Indiana State version of Larry Bird even fellow Cougar Danny Ainge out of me. When those two were torching the game, my then twentysomething parents had yet to even cross paths.
So let's limit the discussion to more recent years. Is Jimmer Fredette the most fascinating college basketball of our generation? Only a handful of players come to mind when I seek to draw comparisons and space is limited, so let's allow the wayback machine to hurl us back only as far as the early aughts. Because before then, I'm guessing many of you wore diapers or were simply a mistake waiting to happen when Al Maguire elbow-jerked his way to the most awesome spontaneous dance ever.
Here are seven six players who sort of compare to Fredette's level of fascination, but really don't when you think about it. Here's why...
Eric Devendorf – OK, cut me some slack. We need to warm up here. No need to scale Mt. Fuji when you can loosen the muscles hiking a few foothills. To his credit, Devendorf averaged 14.5 points during his time at Syracuse and fascinated fans with his frequent follies ranging from suspensions to, uh, declaring early for the NBA Draft. He also hit one of the more memorable buzzer beating shots that was called off, and was probably always a hoot to be around during the weekend. Sure he's hardly half as intriguing as The Jimmer, but I've done my warm-up lap.
Stephen Curry - Non-BCS conference star, tremendous ball handling skills, deft four-point shooter, lovable; you could argue that Curry grandfathered in the fandom for the everyman, undersized crafty guard. Fredette and Curry never squared off against one another, but we wish they had. The edge Jimmer has here is being the leader of a top 25 mainstay. Some will disagree, thinking my thought process is backwards, but Fredette is more fascinating in that he leads a more visible basketball team. The Cougars play in the Mountain West, yet are battling for a tournament No. 2 seed AND just knocked off the conference favorite. They’re technically supposed to make a run to the Final Four. Davidson just hit lightning in a bottle. The fascination level was much more short lived.
Tyler Hansbrough – Wait sorry. Wrong article. God dang delete button is broken again. Moving on…
Kevin Durant - Tough to compare in that he was a one-and-done star who played in only two NCAA Tournament games, Durant still was able to generate a ton of pub because, like he does now in the NBA, he scored at will on the perimeter. A consensus first-team All-American just like he was a consensus first-team All-Likeable, nobody had beef with Durant, we were just in awe of his abilities. But the fascination quickly fades when you throw a Texas uni on the kid. Playing for one of the largest schools in the country doesn't quite create the same sense of intrigue. Precocious athletes are supposed to end up in Austin, no?
JJ Redick - One of the most recognizable college basketball players in the past 25 years, Redick fascinated nearly as many people as he pissed off -- and he did it for four full seasons. Duke's all-time leading scorer was as much of a sniper as Fredette, and did it on national TV about 78 times a season. Everyone knew who Redick was, and he drew high ratings for the simple fact that people wanted to see him fail. The hate that he pulled out of men, women and children was unlike anything I have ever seen in college sports. He made us wonder why we cared. So why does Fredette beat him in a fascination contest? Redick peaked too early, through no fault of his own, going mainstream by the end of his freshman season. Fredette, a senior, has been a known commodity to you and I for a few years now, but is just landing onto the general sports fan scene -- bringing with him a cult like following and heaps of fables locked away on various cable outposts. Redick, conversely, was never a mystery.
Jameer Nelson – An underdog in this fight, Nelson’s 2003-04 season draws very close comparisons to Fredette in 2010-11. The Hawks went undefeated, and were No. 1 in the country, entering March, and Nelson had that passive-aggressive swagger and killer instinct not often seen in the college game. He also was a deceptively outstanding three-point shooter, knocking down 40 percent of the deep balls his senior season. But only averaging 20 points a game is what kills this argument, as Fredette is currently scoring at a rate that one of the most accomplished Atlantic 10 players can hardly light a candle to.
Carmelo Anthony - 'Melo hit the ground running from the moment he arrived in Syracuse, averaging 22 points a game and, as you know, leading the Orange to their first national title. Talent coupled with poise is what drew a national audience to Anthony, as he hit from all over the court with ease all-season long. But just like Durant, it's hard to deem Anthony as fascinating on a Fredette level because we never had time to actually absorb what was happening. Jimmer,as I've said, carries the perfect four-year arc from complete unknown to niche superstar to a booming crescendo where he has become a national figure that's got a few more things to accomplish before he exits stage left. No other college basketball player in recent memory has carved out a parallel experience, at least in my lifetime, and Anthony was supposed to be great. Fredette, we never saw him coming out of Glen Falls, NY.
So there. I rest my case. If an imbecile named Snooki can make millions or Hubert Davis can hold a TV gig, then Fredette can be the most fascinating college basketball player of our generation. Let's hope the Cougars stay healthy, avoid bad luck, and play well into the month of March.
Now to the week that was …
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
3 comments
Comments
Acie Law
This remains one of my favorite regular season conference games from the past decade that I did not have a rooting interest in.
http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2007/02/28/texas-am-96-texas-98
I think Acie Law could have easily fit this description, if he was not overshawdowed by Durant in 2006-2007.
The Mikan Drill
by JoshuaR on Feb 3, 2011 2:39 PM EST reply actions
I'm glad you said it...
before I could, because I assumed my fascination with Law was strictly homerism.
by AgAstraPerAspera on Feb 3, 2011 5:00 PM EST up reply actions
Playing Style like Jameer....
Acie Law was sweet. I wish he could still light it up like that for my Dubs.
One thing to keep in mind that many talented players have opted out since the Larry Bird/Danny Ainge days. But most of those guys would have ended up at a Duke or Kentucky, ala Carmelo/Durant.
When I read articles about comparable players, I always hear comparisons to white guys. Hornacek, JJ. Stupid people say JImmer is like Bird, Stockton, or Nash (completely different type of players).
You mentioning Jameer Nelson was a spark for me. I think they could have potentially similar roles in the NBA. Jimmer right now is more trigger happy, but if he wants to be a championship contender in the NBA, he would have to play more like Jameer.
But, there hasn’t been a white PG with a score first mentality in the NBA in a loooooong time. That could be fun to watch.
by Woody421 on Feb 3, 2011 4:56 PM EST reply actions
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