Kentucky’s CJ Fredrick is an exciting player to watch. The guard, who transferred from Iowa, has been having an up and down season so far. Fredrick has put up some impressive numbers in games he’s played, including his season-high 20 points in the game against Howard. He played for 36 minutes, which is also his season-high so far.
On January 10th, in the game against South Carolina, Fredrick made six field goals, which is his highest number of field goals made in a single game this season. On January 21st, in the game against Texas A&M, Fredrick attempted 10 three-pointers, which is the highest number of three-point attempts in a single game so far this season.
Fredrick’s highest number of rebounds in a single game this season was four, which he achieved in the game against Texas A&M on January 21st. He also had a season-high five assists in the game against Vanderbilt on January 24th.
Looking back at Fredrick’s career statistics, he has played a total of 73 games so far, with 65 of them being starts. He has an average of 8.4 points per game and has made 210 field goals out of 471 attempts, which is a 0.45 field goal percentage. He has made 115 free throws out of 274 attempts, which is a 0.42 free throw percentage.
Fredrick has also shown impressive skills in defense. He has a total of 54 steals and nine blocks in his career so far. His highest number of steals in a single game this season was four, which he achieved in the game against South Carolina State on November 17th.
Overall, Fredrick is a skilled player who has been making an impact in Kentucky’s team this season. He is a valuable addition to the team and will likely continue to showcase his skills in the games to come as soon as he comes back from injury.
The Backstory:
Covington Catholic High School basketball sensation CJ Fredrick had a stellar career that culminated in his being named the 2018 Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, the Prep Hoops Kentucky Player of the Year, the Bluegrass Preps Kentucky Player of the Year, the Cincinnati Enquirer/Northern Kentucky Player of the Year, and the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame Player of the Year. Fredrick helped Covington Catholic win the state title and finish with a 35-4 record during his senior season. He led his team in scoring with an average of 27.8 points per game, and he shot an impressive 63% from the field. He also set his high school’s single-season program records for points (900), field goals (315), and 3s (107), and capped off his high school career scoring 1,651 points, which ranked fourth in school history.
In 2018, Fredrick decided to attend the University of Iowa to play basketball. In his freshman year, Fredrick did not compete in any games and used the season as a redshirt year. In the 2019-20 season, Fredrick was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, and he earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Jan. 20. Fredrick saw action in 25 games, averaging 10.2 points and 2.8 assists per game. With a 46.1% success rate (47 of 102) from 3-point range, he ranked first in the Big Ten. This accomplishment makes him unique, as he is one of only three players in the nation and the sole player from a major conference since 1993 who has more than 65 assists, fewer than 32 turnovers, and a 46% or higher shooting percentage from 3-point range.
During his second year as a redshirt, Fredrick received the All-Big Ten Honorable Mention accolade from the league’s media and was also recognized with the Iowa Men’s Basketball Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.Fredrick started all 27 games he appeared in and averaged 7.5 points and 1.9 assists per game. He posted six double-figure scoring efforts and made three or more 3s in six games. Fredrick shot 47.4% from 3, which ranked as the second-best clip by a sophomore in program history. Fredrick also had a 5.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, tallied 18 points in a win over Penn State, scored 19 points in a win over Northwestern, poured in a career-high 23 points with five 3s at Minnesota, and recorded 21 points and a career-high-tying five 3-pointers in a win over North Carolina.
After transferring to Kentucky Fredrick’s 2021-22 season did not go as planned. He missed the entire season after undergoing surgery in mid-November to repair a left hamstring injury. Before the injury, Fredrick was entering the season as the nation’s leading returner in career 3-point field-goal percentage (46.6%) with a minimum of 150 attempts. Fredrick had won the 2021 Big Blue Madness 3-point contest, but the injury forced him to sit out the entire season.
Fredrick is a talented athlete who also played baseball, football, and golf in high school. He comes from a family of athletes, as his father played basketball at Rollins College, his uncle Joe played basketball at Notre Dame, his aunt Maureen played basketball at Xavier, his grandfather Charlie played football at Notre Dame, and his uncle Jerry and grandfather Reno Masotti played baseball at Northwestern. Fredrick’s major is community and leadership development, and he participates in community service projects, including the Friars Club Coach/Mentor, Mentor of Boys of Hope, among others.
CJ Fredrick is starting to work his way back onto the court after a recent injury and should play a vital role for the Wildcats going into the post season.
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