Fredette Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

PROVO -- BYU junior guard Jimmer Fredette announced Monday that he has declared for the 2010 NBA Draft but will not hire an agent to maintain his eligibility for his senior season of college.

“I’ve decided to put my name in the draft to explore my options with the NBA at this time,” Fredette said. “I’m not hiring an agent to give me the opportunity to come back to BYU. I’m excited for this opportunity to see how I compare with the best players in the nation and to gain feedback on how I can improve as a basketball player.”

The Glens Falls, N.Y., native received multiple All-America honors in 2009-10 while leading BYU to a program record 30 wins, including a victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He led BYU in scoring (22.1 ppg), assists (4.7 apg) and three-point percentage (.440) while shooting .892 from the free throw line and adding 41 steals. He set BYU records with 49 points and nine threes against Arizona and set an MWC Tournament record with 45 points against TCU.

Fredette tied the program’s NCAA Tournament scoring record with 37 points in BYU’s 99-92 double-overtime win over Florida in the first round. For the season he had eight 30-point games and had the fourth-most points (751) and fourth-most assists (159) by a Cougar in a single season. In addition to the All-America honors, Fredette was named first-team All-MWC and earned all-district and district player of the year honors.

As a sophomore in 2008-09, Fredette was named to the All-MWC First Team and earned all-district honors. In his three seasons, BYU has won two MWC titles, earned three NCAA Tournament bids and compiled a record of 82-22.

“Jimmer’s a great player and has been a big part of our success these past three seasons,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “He’s a great scorer and distributor who really makes our offense go. Jimmer’s an All-American and helped us advance in the NCAA Tournament this season. He’s excited to explore the opportunities that might be available to him in the NBA Draft.”

By making himself eligible for the draft, Fredette can be invited to pre-draft camps designed to evaluate potential draft choices and participate in workouts with NBA teams. College underclassmen have until Sunday, April 25, to declare for the draft. Student-athletes who have not signed with an agent can return to college by withdrawing from the draft by May 8.

Fredette follows in the footsteps of Jonathan Tavernari, Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted, who also entered their names in the NBA Draft with eligibility remaining. Tavernari declared for the draft after his junior season in 2009 but did not hire an agent and returned for his senior year. Cummard did the same in the spring of 2008. Plaisted hired an agent and was selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft.