The Official Jimmerphilia Thread

[cougjunkie]

I watch a lot of sporting events and I mean a lot. Everything from big time events like the Superbowl, NBA playoffs, and the BCS title game down to D-III football playoffs, Women's bowling, and everything in between. Sports consume my life it is almost like an addiction of sorts and no matter how much I watch it never feeds that addiction enough I always want more. So when sports are not on TV I play sports video games, read sport magazines, and post on sports message boards. I think in terms of pure hours of researching, watching, and studying sports I have to be right up there with any other fanatic. The only thing I do not have on my side is time as I am still in my 20s (barely ).

What I saw last night by Jimmer Fredette (live and in person I might add) ranks as one of the single greatest sporting performances I have ever witnessed. Now I admit it may rank higher for me than others since it was my team that he is playing for but I was left without words watching him. The forty seven points were nice but that was something we had seen before by even Jimmer himself. What made it so special to me was the way he got to 47. Stepback threes from 25 feet! Cross over dribbles to the middle of the lane where he hangs and hits a shot over the 7'3 Foster, a wide array of scoop shots and layups that he makes look so easy.

Then he starts playing horse with the Utes dropping in a 3 from 22 feet, then 25, then he pulls up from about 28 at the top of the key, and right before the half the dagger from half court 40+ feet away. His reaction after making it was priceless he knew as soon as he let it go it was good and he would have been pissed had he missed it. Jim Boylen said they track the shots and Jimmer had one uncontested shot all night. One shot!!!!!!

He is the ultimate competitor when BYU is struggling he takes over the game, when they need someone to make a shot he does it every single time without fail. On the rare occasions his shot is not falling he is aggressive and gets to the rim to draw a foul and get to the line. He is also a very good distributor of the basketball. Last night Dave Rose said that if the rest of the team had an average shooting night in the first half Jimmer finishes with 10 or 12 assists.

After Rose put him back in the game and Jimmer puts on one last move where he crosses up Clyburn spins to the middle of the floor drives by Foster and finishes with a scooping left handed reverse layup it was the perfect exclamation point to a spectacular night.

Like DDD says I am definitely going to enjoy the ride as we may never see something like this again. As much as I love all the national pub I still like the fact that BYU fans can lay claim that he is our Jimmer, we discovered him we knew from the day he first stepped on campus that he would be a special player for BYU someday. Maybe not this good but he had the tools from day 1. I love Coach Rose but sitting him as a freshman behind Ben Murdock is the second worst personnell move in the history of BYU sports (Rich sitting behind Fowler is the run away favorite). That has all been forgiven now and I am glad Coach Rose is letting Jimmer do his thing and I feel privileged as a BYU fan to be along for the ride.

The only hope for the remaining teams on BYUs schedule to stop Jimmer is if one of them can dig up a scholarship for MikeWaters and convince him to joing them for the remainder of the season because he swears that he can check Jimmer.

[UtahDan]

I dont recall this, but Im not denying it. This was pre-message board era, so many of these comments would have been made in person and, I guess, with a straight face.

Out of curiosity, were these claims made before or after those guys played their way to the NCAA title game?

Mostly before. Just a vocal minority. Just as now I assume most Ute fans would readily say what a great player Jimmer is with a few idiots mixed in.

[Surfah]

The only hope for the remaining teams on BYUs schedule to stop Jimmer is if one of them can dig up a scholarship for MikeWaters and convince him to joing them for the remainder of the season because he swears that he can check Jimmer.

So funny. I was thinking the same thing. I'd pay to see a MW and Jimmer one on one game.

[Flystripper]

The only hope for the remaining teams on BYUs schedule to stop Jimmer is if one of them can dig up a scholarship for MikeWaters and convince him to joing them for the remainder of the season because he swears that he can check Jimmer.

LOL! I remember that. I was going to post this exact comment in the "How do you stop Jimmer" thread but it works here as well.

[Surfah]

Jimmer got some more love from Scott Van Pelt on his show. He even gave props to Wrubell for his call of the half court shot. He said that every school needs a homer play by play guy like that and then did his own Woo-hoo imitation when they rolled the highlight. He also said they were watching live and the juxtaposition of the Cavs making their 49th point last night with 6 minutes left in the game and Jimmer walking off the court with 47 was weird.

[myboynoah]

The only hope for the remaining teams on BYUs schedule to stop Jimmer is if one of them can dig up a scholarship for MikeWaters and convince him to joing them for the remainder of the season because he swears that he can check Jimmer.

[Top Ute]

This is dumb in my opinion. I lived through the golden age of Utah basketball listening to some BYU fans first saying that KVH/Miller/Doleac/Mottola/Jensen/Johnson/Jacobson/Bogut were not all that good and then in the off season saying how irreplaceable there were. I always thought it was small and I think that trying to run down Jimmer either as a college player or trying to run down his future is silly. We will know what kind of pro he is when he gets there.

Jimmer is a once in a generation type player (Ainge is the only point of comparison) and you guys should enjoy the hell out of him while you have him. His era almost certainly will represent the zenith of your program. Not suggesting at all that BYU drops off to mediocrity or anything, just that I think you are experiencing things as good as they get for a program like BYU. I hope that he gives you guys some memories in March like some of the ones Andre and the gang gave us. These things just happen so rarely for fans.

+1,000. A lot of the same things I'm reading BYU fans say about Jimmer are very similar to what I was saying about 2004 Utah football. To hate on or diminish it just exposes one's own jealousy and bitterness.

I both laughed and was enraged at the Zute on Utefans who suggested Fredette was arrogant for launching 25-foot NBA 3s that didn't come within the flow of the offense. Moron ... that's Fredette's range, and any shot within his range comes in the "flow of the offense."

[SteelBlue]

The only hope for the remaining teams on BYUs schedule to stop Jimmer is if one of them can dig up a scholarship for MikeWaters and convince him to joing them for the remainder of the season because he swears that he can check Jimmer.

I believe he said that "a trash can could guard Jimmer".

[falafel]

FIFY

Heh. You sure?

[Blueintheface]

+1,000. A lot of the same things I'm reading BYU fans say about Jimmer are very similar to what I was saying about 2004 Utah football. To hate on or diminish it just exposes one's own jealousy and bitterness.

I both laughed and was enraged at the Zute on Utefans who suggested Fredette was arrogant for launching 25-foot NBA 3s that didn't come within the flow of the offense. Moron ... that's Fredette's range, and any shot within his range comes in the "flow of the offense."

FIFY

[myboynoah]

They're going to talk Jimmer on Around the Horn, 4th on deck right now.

[myboynoah]

+1,000. A lot of the same things I'm reading BYU fans say about Jimmer are very similar to what I was saying about 2004 Utah football. To hate on or diminish it just exposes one's own jealousy and bitterness.

I both laughed and was enraged at the Zute on Utefans who suggested Fredette was arrogant for launching 25-foot NBA 3s that didn't come within the flow of the offense. Moron ... that's Fredette's range, and any shot within his range comes in the "flow of the offense."

I admired your work over there Pat.

[Green Monstah]

I've repeatedly told my wife that if we have another boy, his name will be James and I will call him Jimmer. I think she's using it as an excuse to avoid trial-runs for future procreation. Damn.

[myboynoah]

They're going to talk Jimmer on Around the Horn, 4th on deck right now.

Buy or Sell Jimmer in the NBA

Plaschke, Cowlishaw, and Blackistone were all sell, saying he's not athletic enough. At least Cowlishaw gives Jimmer a chance to stay in the league for a while.

Paige was a buy, comparing Jimmer to Ainge and talking about his high basketball IQ. Paige's Jimmer buy gave him enough points to bump Cowlishaw out of the game and survive to the next round.

Who knows. Jimmer was under appreciated coming out of high school for a lot of the same reasons. I'm looking forward to him getting a chance.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Jimmer Fredette’s performance last night at the Huntsman Center was a historic; tell the grand kids I was there night. It wasn’t effortless, it was unstoppable. Regardless of defense, regardless of spot on the floor Jimmer had the answer.

He is a shot maker. Shot making is his NBA skill. To project a college player into the NBA he has to have an NBA skill. Being above average at everything makes you a nice college player, to play in the association you have to have an NBA skill. Jimmer has one.

However, projecting Jimmer as an NBA player is very difficult. Two issues impede making it a no brainer, size and athleticism. Every player that I start to compare Jimmer to is two or three inches taller than he and that is an enormous amount in the NBA.

Though I refer to it as a uncertain some of the scouts I talked to today think it unquestionable that he will be an NBA player, “I will not stop in my conviction on this kid, he is a 1st rounder, he is really really good. Go back and look at how Mike Fratello used Mark Price in his early days and you have Jimmer Fredette.”

Mark Price is the first player I have heard compared to Jimmer who is actually smaller than Jimmer. I doubt whether Jimmer has the point guard skills to be a Mark Price.

If Jimmer is an NBA player it is because of his shot making. However, that is not a guarantee; Bo Kimble was a great shot maker in college as was Adam Morrision and former Jazzman Morris Almond. All of those players were below average athletically for the NBA and it came back to haunt them.

Scoring in college does not translate to the NBA. Shooting usually does, but scoring in the NBA game is completely different than in the college game.

Jimmer’s outside game is undeniable. However, I question if his ability to get to the rim will be able to translate to the NBA. His handle is a bit loose and in the NBA game that will get ripped. He is a terrific shot maker at the rim. But the college game has a lot more space around the rim than he will ever have in the NBA.

Jimmer’s commitment to the game makes it a reasonable expectation that he will be able to tighten his handle and the shots he takes at 2 feet will have to evolve into 5 to 7 footers before getting in traffic. Andre Miller was a at the rim shoot maker in college that many shots believed would be unable to accomplish the same in the NBA. However, despite his heavy legs and stuck to the floor athleticism he has been able to score at the rim. The two are similar in size.

Projecting Jimmer’s position is an issue. He is too small to be a shooting guard and not a natural point guard. He is a scorer and a shooter not a passer. My best case scenario for Jimmer’s career is Dallas Mavericks Jason Terry. Terry entered the NBA as a point guard from Arizona. Quickly it became clear he was a scorer that a point guard. Terry is longer, more athletic and was better with the ball out of Arizona when he was taken 10th by the Atlanta Hawks.

My most likely scenario for Jimmer is Eddie House. The former 2nd round pick out of Arizona State is a dead eye shot maker. In college he was the all time Arizona State scorer and 10th best ever in the Pac-10. He also was third all time in steals when he left ASU. Similar to Fredette he lived over 30 points with regularity including a 61 point explosion v. Cal and went over 40 4 times in his senior year.

Despite all of the scoring his lack of size and lack of point guard skills left House out of the first round of the draft and have limited his career to being a shooter . House has been a viable NBA player for 10 years and that is nothing to push aside.

Finally, the worst case scenario is that like so many before him that were not perfectly defined in the NBA they were able to make the jump. He can’t defend a lick. He got beat consistently against Utah players that are below average Division I players. There is a reason why positions have size standards that need to be met. When a player is undersized it takes exceptional abilities to overcome that disadvantage.

It is possible that he will be unable to get his shot off in the NBA game and his liabilities become to big an issue. Salim Stoudamire was terrific at Arizona he shot 50% from the field and 50% from three as a senior and never made it in the NBA.

One of the biggest challenges for Jimmer will be his understanding of how to play with teammates. Everything about BYU right now is about Jimmer. When he makes the jump it will be a huge challenge in understanding how to use possessions. Numerous players (see Morris Almond) never figure out how to play with teammates.

Last year’s leading scorer was a 6’1 shooting guard named Aubrey Coleman. He didn’t translate. Jermaine Taylor was a big time scorer at Central Florida and was a legit 6’4 with a 6’8 wingspan and he has been unable to stay in the league.

Where a player lands is sometimes as important as all the these other items. Few players have universal skills that work in every environment. Reggie Williams lead the NCAA in scoring for two seasons at VMI and was in the D-League for two years before the Warriors picked him up. Gary Neal was a great scorer at Towson and was in Europe for years until the Spurs found him this year.

In the meantime, we are fortunate enough to watch Jimmer with the Y on his uniform for the rest of what will continue to be a thrill ride of great college basketball.

http://www.nba.com/jazz/features/locked_on_jazz.html