Jimmer Fredette reached LeBron territory Wednesday night. He broke Twitter.
We knew BYU’s senior guard could score from anywhere. We knew he could score in bunches. And we knew he could carry BYU when needed. But we didn’t know he could do all three at once, when the entire college basketball world was watching and against a team that hadn’t lost all season.
He merely dumped 43 points on No. 4 San Diego State, 60 percent of the Cougars’ 71 points. Twenty of those came in the first half, when BYU couldn’t hit a thing. Yet San Diego State still couldn’t stop him. The nation’s leading scorer hit five of his last seven shots before halftime, scored the Cougars’ final 15 points and ensured they were only down one point at the break, 31-30.
“He was really special in the first half keeping us in the game making shot after shot,” coach Dave Rose said afterward. “He kept us right there.”
And how. It wasn’t so much that Fredette was scoring, but how he was scoring. Drives through the lane. Pull-up 3-pointers. Pull-up jumpers. Shots with hands in his face. And Twitter loved it. (So did the Provo crowd.)
There was “JIMMER!” and “Jimmer is ridiculous” and “JIMMER GOOD GOD” and “How do you guard that? Honest to God, how the hell do you guard that?”
Much like LeBron during his “Decision,” Twitter timelines slowed to a crawl as users tossed out 140 characters of love, disbelief and sheer delight. He turned everyone into Fredette fans.
There was Arizona’s Derrick Williams:
Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger:
Or pros like Washington’s John Wall:
Even Kevin Durant (who had 47 himself on Wednesday) gushed about Fredette:
Fredette politely demurred, but did admit “I was feeling it a little bit.”
Um, 43 points on 14-of-24 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc? I’d say so. When you get props from pros and peers and Twitter gushes nothing but love for you, you’ve reached elite territory. Like LeBron. Like ‘Melo. Like the rest of the game’s one-name wonders.
Take a bow, Jimmer. That last name’s no longer necessary. You’re now a legend.
Want more? I’m also on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.
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- florida727 - Jan 27, 2011 at 8:34 AM
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First time I’ve had an opportunity to watch him other than highlights, which always show the best of what he does. I was most impressed with his ball-handling and movement away from the ball in order to get it back where he wanted to have it. Unlimited range won’t hurt his pro career either. Wow! What a player. Wonder if ESPN will try to get more of their games now? Glad I got CBS College Sports Network, that’s for sure…
