By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
A professional career shy of glory days at BYU, Jimmer Fredette opted to move from 5X5 to 3X3 basketball.
Debuting in early October, he went on to represent the USA in the FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup held in Miami over the weekend. Resurfacing clutch qualities and tucking in the gold-clinching long-range bucket powered his side to the 21-18 win against Puerto Rico in Sunday’s Final. “Shooters shoot. That’s what I do,” he explained.
“It’s amazing,” Fredette described his experience, “How fun is that, to be able to win gold and bring it home for the U.S. against some really good competition, some really stout teams. These guys are good. They play well. They play hard. We had to play against some really good basketball teams. It was great to be able to come away with a victory.”
Before defeating Puerto Rico, Team USA, consisting of Canyon Barry, Dylan Travis, and Kareem Maddox alongside Fredette, knocked out Trinidad and Tobago in the Semifinals and Mexico in the Quarterfinals. Two more wins with Guatemala and Brazil on the receiving end made out the preliminary round of the tournament.
Carrying multiple NCAA records and becoming a household name through college success, Fredette was picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks with the tenth overall selection of the 2011 NBA draft and was traded to the Sacramento Kings. Failing to make a smooth transition into the NBA, his career was limited to 241 games played between the Kings, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns. Overseas experience included Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club Panathinaikos OPAP in 2019-20.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL