Jimmer Fredette, SG

Jimmer Fredette can score, as his career total of 2,599 points, 33rd all-time, will attest.

He capped a tremendous career with 1,068 points as a senior, setting new school and Mountain West Conference records, and was the 19th player in major-college history to go for a grand in one season. Fredette's popularity reached new peaks, as "Jimmer Mania stretched from coast to coast" during BYU's record-setting season.

Even as the pre-draft process began, Fredette was already one of the most heavily discussed talents in the 2011 NBA Draft, with teams seemingly split down the middle in their assessment of his skills. Those on the Fredette bandwagon see a player with excellent basketball IQ, a deft scoring touch and toughness with a scorer's, instant offense mentality.

Detractors see an athlete who lacks explosiveness usually associated with a scorer like a Ben Gordon or a Steph Curry and claim he lacks quickness to defend speedy point guards in the wide-open NBA.

The ideal fit for Fredette could be playing him in a Mark Price-type of role as a combo guard. Whether scouts praise or criticize his game, all agree that he has excellent long-range shooting ability -- note his 296 career 3-point field goals as a Cougar. They cite that toughness, as he shows little regard for his well-being attacking the basket, as his ability to draw fouls allowed him to go to the charity stripe 711 times during his career, converting 627 (88.2 percent) of those chances.

Fredette is a willing passer, doling out 515 assists while registering 167 steals in 139 games. He is also capable of slipping past big men in the paint, producing 367 rebounds as a Cougar.

The youngest of three children of Kay and Al Fredette, James received the nickname "Jimmer" from his mother, which has stuck throughout his basketball career. From his early childhood, he showed unusual dedication to athletics, his older brother T.J. recalling, "He was the most determined, competitive four-year-old I had ever seen."

Fredette was ranked among the nation's top 75 shooting guards by ESPN.com as a senior at Glens Falls High School. He was the Section II and school's all-time leading scorer, ranking sixth on New York's all-time scoring list, with 2,404 points. He was named first-team all-state by the New York State Sportswriters Association and the Times Union as a junior and senior.

Fredette had several memorable on-court moments in his career at Glens Falls, including 12 40-point performances in his senior season, and a shot vs. Voorheesville High School in the season opener of his junior year in which he banked a 3-pointer off the glass with his opposite hand to force overtime at the end of regulation.

Fredette led his team to a 25-2 record and the Class A State title game, which they lost to a Peekskill High School team led by current Syracuse University forward Mookie Jones. He played AAU for the Albany City Rocks alongside former Penn State University point guard Talor Battle, as he averaged 25 points per game to help the Rocks to a third-place win over the Minnesota Magic at the 2006 AAU National Championships.

Fredette also lit up the Sportsfest Tournament at Cedar Beach in Allentown, Pa., during a prestigious outdoor summer tournament. His performance included four 3-pointers in the first half of the championship game fighting vs. 10-15 mph gusts of wind.

Despite his high school accolades, Fredette went largely unnoticed by the traditional "basketball powers." He received offers from 12 schools and ultimately chose to attend Brigham Young, which was sister, Lindsay's alma mater and the flagship school of the LDS Church.

As a freshman, Fredette played in all 35 games for the Cougars, helping BYU earn a 27-8 record and capture the Mountain West Conference Championship. He averaged 18.5 minutes, 7.0 points, 1.7 assists and 1.1 rebounds per game and was the team's fifth-leading scorer while coming off the bench.

In 2008-09, Fredette played in all 33 games of his sophomore season starting 32 of them. He was second on the team in scoring (16.2), 3-point shooting percentage (.382), 3-point makes (52) and free throw percentage (.847) and first in steals (1.5) and assists (4.1). He scored in double figures 29 times and had 20-plus points eight times. He led the team in scoring 10 times and assists 19 times and was named first-team All-Mountain West, become the school's first point guard to earn first-team all-conference honors since Marty Haws in 1990.

As a junior, Fredette was named to five different All-American teams. He was also selected the USBWA's District VIII Player of the Year. He ranked seventh in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.09 points per game, the fifth-best average in league history. He finished 12th in the nation with a free throw percentage of 89.2 percent and his 225 successful field goals tied for fourth on the conference's season-record chart. He also had 105 rebounds, along with 159 assists and 41 steals.

Fredette considered foregoing his senior year and entering the draft after his junior year, but when teams failed to guarantee that he would be a first round pick, he decided to return to school for his final season. Named the MWC's Player of the Year in 2010-11, the first-team All-American became the first player in school and league history to score over 1,000 points (1,068) in a season.

The senior led the nation with a 28.87-point scoring average, ranking third in 3-point field goals per game (3.4). His 3-point percentage of .396 placed 31st nationally, as his .894 free throw percentage was good for 14th. His 346 field goals set an MWC record and he hit on 252-of-282 shots from the charity stripe. He also averaged 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 4.3 assists per game.

NOTABLE QUOTES FROM NOTABLE EXPERTS

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder posted on his Twitter account that "Jimmer Fredette is the greatest scorer in the world!!"

"I've seen him on film a lot. I love him. There are some legitimate questions about whether he's a 1 (point) or a 2 (shooting) guard. But the guy can flat-out score with deep range, catch and shoot or off the dribble. The deep range with the shot will set up the rest of his game. He's got a really special gift for scoring. A guy like that will always be able to find a place to play. I think he'll be a pro for a long time; it's just a matter of finding the right place." … Steve Kerr, Five-time NBA Champion

"I love Jimmer Fredette; best player in college. I think he can be a solid pro. He's a really good scorer. I don't know how that translates in the NBA with so many great point guards and athletes but I think he has a high basketball I.Q. and I think he'll have success." … Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics

"I love the Jimmer. I think he's a great player. He's the type of player, I think, who can come in and have a good impact at this level. He's a guy I admire. I was mentioning players that play the game extremely hard, and he's one of them. He brings it every night. I think he can make a big impact. A lot of people have compared him to a young Stephen Curry and that's a pretty good comparison. Steph has had a lot of success in this league and he's determined to become a better player. I think with Jimmer, it's the same way." …

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

While revealing his NCAA Tournament Brackets, President Barack Obama said of Fredette: "Unbelievable. Best scorer obviously in the country. Great talent."

"I love him. He's terrific. I've seen the ESPN clips and going by the clips, he's a superstar. The kid's going to be a good NBA player. We get lost in what kids can't do and we should focus more on the things they can do and try to accent that. He can get his own shot." …

Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics Head Coach

"I saw him play during the summer for the USA team. He's not surprised me with what he's been doing this year. The way he was playing with the USA team, he was playing great. He played with a lot of confidence. You could tell that he wanted to be there and I'm happy for him. He's a great player, especially right now. He's a great scorer. He's leading his team the way he's supposed to." … Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

"I'm telling you a dangerous team in BYU. Why? Jimmer Fredette. Remember the name, Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer Fredette. The guy can flat-out score. Call Donovan up - 37 on the Gators. Fourty-nine vs. Arizona. If he's stroking it, and they get to the free-throw line, and it's a close game, they're the best free throw shooting team in America." … Dick Vitale, ESPN

"I've tuned in just like everybody else. You get on the Fredette bandwagon and you want to see how this guy is. He's a great scorer. I think he's now proven himself and put himself in position where he's got a good opportunity to play in this league. He can put the ball in the basket and he's a very good competitor." … Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat

"I've seen Jimmer play. He's a great, great, great, great guard. He's taken over college basketball right now, just in the way he has run his team, he's leading his team. I know he's going to do well at the next level. I know just from watching him that he's going to be a great NBA player." … Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder

Positives: Has great confidence, and rightfully so, in his ability to make his mid-range jumper … quite turnover prone, but when he keeps the ball on the floor for just a few dribbles before shooting, he shows excellent accuracy and range connecting anywhere outside the key (needs to get stronger to establish a better inside game for the NBA level) … Sets his feet well and shows good elevation, along with a quick release fading back to execute his jumper … Shows good elbow angle shooting the sphere and while not the strongest you will find, vs. smaller opponents, he is very effective at creating space … Does not play with a point guard's mentality (pass first, pass second), but when he does feed the ball off, he knows how to fire crisp tosses and will generally make good decisions with the ball in his hands … Probably the best shooter in this draft class, showing above average crossover skills … Has the basketball IQ to know how to spot up for a clear shot and is very effective at drawing contact on the way to the basket … Excellent free throw shooter (89.4% on free throws last year) … Can easily elevate off the ground and with his high release point and smooth, quick release, he has no problems getting the trajectory on his shot to prevent even the tallest of defenders from blocking it … Has little regard for his own safety running through traffic (his one desire is to draw contact and get to the charity stripe when doing this, but is much better vs. smaller point guards than the bigger, more physical two-guards) … Type of player that scores in bunches, demonstrating very good mechanics and a smooth release taking his free throws … Classic gunslinger who needs just a little room and practically no time in getting his shot off, as his mechanics are textbook perfect, squaring his shoulders and quickly setting his feet to catch and shoot the ball suddenly … Has a versatile scoring game, as he can either pull up and fire away with his soft jumpers or simply hoist the ball from beyond the arc … Once elevated, he demonstrates a powerful stride to the hoop, as he does a fine job of drawing contact when playing in transition … Has more than enough range with his jump shot to hit them from NBA-caliber three-point range … Has incredible rise getting off the ground to put up his jumper … His mid range game continues to improve, as he does a good job of setting his feet before unleashing the ball … Keeps his body low moving through a crowd and has the body control to battle his way to the rim … Defenders need to play him tight, as he is very good at coming off screens to put up a quick and soft trey from the perimeter … Lacks explosive speed, but with his low center of gravity, he has no problems weaving through traffic and knows how to vary his speed's pace to pull up and hit his jumpers while the defender over-commits on the play … It was surprising that he registered just 49 steals last year, as he has great anticipation skills to rob the ball carrier from the sphere … Decent rebounder for a point guard, as he shows the elevation and extension, along with using his angling skills well to crash the boards … Can play more than just a few minutes at the point, if needed, as he shows good court vision and when asked to handle the ball, he does it with a "pass first" mentality (has a shoot-first mentality as a two-guard) … Might not have the raw strength to overpower frontcourt types, he can fool them with finesse, as he is very good on crossovers and does a good job of utilizing head and shoulder fakes.

Negatives … Lacks the suddenness and lateral agility to stay with the shooter on the perimeter and will generally give a side rather than face up to his opponent when playing on the defensive side … Plays with great passion as a shooter, but has a glaring indifference to taking charges or getting his hands in on the action to try and steal the sphere … Once his man gets by him on the way to the rim, he will generally stand around, almost admiring his opponent's shot rather than try to recover and get back into the action … More of a shooting guard, but lacks the size and athleticism to face up regularly vs. the more physical "twos" … Makes good decisions as a shooter, but will look to create his own shot rather than look for a better open outlet … Tends to over-dribble, leading to his very high amount of turnovers (131 last season) … Needs to add bulk and strength to his frame, as he is not the type that can easily attack the rim or play a strong inside game (gets most of his points from his mid-range jumper) … Gets bounced around too much when getting attacked by help defenders … Has a nice jumper, but will get too "fancy" with the ball trying to make acrobatic shots and it is obvious his athleticism, or lack of, is more of a liability (especially when having to move suddenly or laterally) than an asset … Has to be more alert to his surroundings, as he gives up the ball too much (thinks he can compensate with his scoring, but he does not have the inside game you want from a shooting guard), as he had an alarming 3.54 turnovers per game as a senior.

Compares To: Kevin Martin, Houston -- Like Martin, Fredette is a tweener type guard. He is one of the worst defenders in the NBA draft class and while he has a shoot-first mentality, he lacks ball security skills and has shown a notable indifference to applying any defensive pressure. He got by at the point in college, but without an inside scoring game, he might be better suited as a combo guard, coming off the bench to put in a slew of jumpers before the opponent compensates by taking advantage of his obvious defensive deficiencies.

--Dave-Te' Thomas

Consensus All-American first-team selection … The Mountain West Conference Player of the Year added Wooden Award, Naismith Award, Adolph Rupp Trophy and Oscar Robertson Trophy honors … Named co-captain of his team alongside Jackson Emery and Logan Magnusson … Was the top-ranked point guard in the nation according to Rivals.com and led the nation in points per game despite frequently being double- or triple-teamed, which allowed him to open up shots for his teammates … Scored a league season-record 1,068 points (28.865 ppg), as he also broke the MWC mark by making 346-of-765 field goals (45.2 percent), including 124-of-313 (39.6 percent) from 3-point range … Ranked 14th in the nation by making 89.4 percent of his free throws (252-of-282) … Registered 127 rebounds (3.43 rebounds per game), 160 assists (4.32 assists per game), 49 steals (1.32 steals per game) and one blocked shot.

Earned Lute Olson and The NBA Draft Report All-American first-team honors, adding second-team accolades from Basketball Times and third-team recognition from the NABC State Farm Coaches' Division I poll and The Sporting News … NABC All-District XVII, USBWA All-District VIII and USBWA All-District VIII Player of the Year honors … First-team All-Mountain West Conference choice and named MWC All-Tournament, in addition to receiving MWC Player of the Week (Nov. 16, Dec. 28, Jan. 4, Feb. 1, Feb. 22) accolades …

Chosen USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week and was an Oscar Robertson Trophy finalist … Wooden Award candidate, HoopTV Las Vegas Classic MVP and Fiesta Bowl Classic MVP … Named Male Crowd Pleaser, Male Athlete of the Year and received Performance of the Year at the 2010 Y Awards … Chosen the team's Most Out-standing Player … Led the Cougars in scoring (751 points, 22.08 ppg) and assists (159, 4.7 assists per game) … Shot .458 from the field (225-of-491), .440 from 3-point range (77-of-175) and .892 from the free throw line (224-of-251) … Added 41 steals and 3.1 boards per game (105) … Led the team in scoring 23 times and assists 26 times … In the MWC, Fredette was ranked in the top 10 in eight categories … Nationally, he was seventh in scoring, 12th in free throw percentage and 69th in assists per game … Scored 20-plus points 22 times and 30-plus points 8 times.

Named first-team All-MWC and was a member of the league's All-Tournament Team … Selected a CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-America Honorable Mention, adding USBWA All-District Team … Received the Male Crowd Pleaser Award at the Y Awards and the team's Most Improved Player award … Played in all 33 games and started 32 … Was second on the team in scoring (16.2), 3-point shooting percentage (.382), 3-point makes (52) and free throw percentage (.847) and first in steals (1.5) and assists (4.1) … Scored in double figures 29 times and 20-plus points eight times … Led the team in scoring 10 times and assists 19 times … Ranked in the top-10 in six statistical categories in the MWC, including scoring (fifth with 536 points), assists (third with 135), free throw percentage (second), steals (second with 50), assist/turnover ratio (8th) and minutes played (fourth) … Was 43rd in the NCAA in free throw shooting.

Played in all 35 games for the Cougars as a true freshman, helping BYU earn a 27-8 record and capture the Mountain West Conference Championship … Averaged 18.5 minutes, 7.0 points (244), 1.7 assists (61) and 1.1 rebounds (37) per game … Was the team's fifth-leading scorer … Led BYU in scoring twice, assists twice and rebounds once while posting 12 double-figure scoring games … Hit a 3-pointer in 23 games, totaling 43 on the season.

Fredette played in 139 games at Brigham Young … Became the 61st player in NCAA Division I history to score over 2,500 points, as his 2,599 points rank 33rd all-time, setting the school and Mountain West Conference career-record, topping the previous league-best of 2,189 points by Brandon Heath of San Diego State (2003-07) … Holds two of the three top scoring seasons in conference annals, with 751 in 2009-10 and 1,068 in 2010-11, wrapped around Ruben Douglas of New Mexico (783 in 2002-03) … His average of 28.865 points per game as a senior led the nation and rank second on the MWC annual record books behind Ruben Douglas of New Mexico (32.1 ppg in 2002-03) … Set the conference season-record with 346 field goals made in 2010-11, topping the previous mark of 281 by Andrew Bogut of Utah (2004-05) … His 225 field goals as a junior tied Brandon Heath of San Diego State (2006-07) for fifth on the MWC season-record list … His 838 field goals at BYU topped the old league career-record of 749 by Brandon Heath (2003-07) … His average of 18.698 points per game rank third on the MWC career-record chart … Connected on 296-of-752 3-pointers (39.4 percent) and 627-of-711 free throws (88.2 percent) … Grabbed 367 rebounds (2.64 rebounds per game), handed out 515 assists (3.71 assists per game), had 167 steals (1.2 steals per game) and blocked twelve shots … On December 28th, 2009, Fredette scored 49 points vs. the Arizona Wildcats, setting a new BYU record and a new McKale Center record for points scored in a single game.

Attended Glens Falls (N.Y.) High School, where Fredette ranked among ESPN's top 75 shooting guards in the nation … Was the school and Section II's all-time leading scorer and still ranks sixth in New York State annals with 2,404 points … Named All-State first-team by the Times Union and the New York State Sportswriters Association … Was also honored as the New York State 2007 Player of the Year … Also recruited by Utah, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Marshall, Fordham, Siena, George Mason, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Penn State and North Carolina State, Fredette attended Brigham Young's basketball camp the summer before his junior year of high school.

American Studies major … Son of Kay and Al Fredette … Born James Taft Fredette on 2/25/89 in Glens Falls, New York.