Audio By Carbonatix
The NCAA basketball tourney games in Denver on Saturday stood in stark contrast to each other. Richmond-Morehead State boasted virtually no notable names, while Brigham Young-Gonzaga featured one of the biggest stars of 2011 March Madness, BYU’s Jimmer Fredette — a player so renowned that even his cheerleader gal-pal, Chatfield-grad Whitney Wonnacott, has become an Internet celeb. And based on his performance, Fredette’s fame has only grown.
Fredette’s scoring total was modest by his standards, if no one else’s: He contributed 34 points in BYU’s 89-67 victory over the ‘Zags. But that’s because he spent much of his time getting his teammates involved, and they repaid his confidence in him. Three members of the squad — Noath Hartsock, Jackson Emery and Stephen Rogers — ended in double figures.
This relative balance gives Brigham Young a chance against their next (very formidable) opponent, Florida — and if BYU gets past the Gators (alma mater of Tim Tebow, to whom Jimmer is frequently compared), Fredette will likely reach college-basketball folk hero status.
If he hasn’t already.
When news happens, Westword is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $50,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
More from our Sports archive: “UNC’s Devon Beitzel gets his Jimmer Fredette on, but it’s not enough vs. San Diego State.”
