To steal a line from the late great Jack Buck, I don't believe what I just saw.
I just got back from the BYU-Utah basketball game, where Jimmer Fredette put on a performance I may never see again at the college level. In front of a hostile crowd, in his team's biggest rivalry game, Jimmer dropped 47 on the Utes. And if Dave Rose had left him in the entire game, Fredette could have easily scored over 50. Even Utah fans had their jaws on the floor. They couldn't believe it either.
It was simply the best offensive performance I have ever seen in person in college basketball. And he didn't need 47 shots to get his 47 points, either. Fredette was a lethal 16 for 28 from the field, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range. He also led the team with 6 assists.
Fredette may be more valuable to his team than any other player in the country, and he certainly is going to receive strong consideration for national player of the year. Fredette now leads the country in scoring at 26.1 points per game. He came into the year with first team All-American hype, and he has lived up to every bit of it, and then some.
The amazing thing is when you look at Fredette in warm ups, he doesn't look like anything special. He looks like an ordinary 6-2, 195-pound guard who can barely dunk. But the confidence this guy displays when the ball is in his hands is something to marvel at. I truly believe he thinks he can make any shot on the court. Off balance 3-pointer? No biggie. Half court buzzer-beater? Drano. I'm waiting for an 80-foot jumper that finds nothing but the bottom of the net. All he needs is a millimeter of space and he can get his shot off. Rose admitted he doesn't want Jimmer regularly shooting 35-footers, but who can argue with the results?
The big question is will Fredette be able to slice and dice his way through the NBA like he has the Mountain West? I don't know. Scouts have told me Jimmer needs to work on his defense and passing game, but I can't imagine a shooter in the NBA right now who is deadlier than Jimmer.
He has been an absolute pleasure to watch these past four years, and I really hope fans around the state appreciate what a talent this guy is. Because we may never see another one like him again.
