CJ Fredrick missed all of last season due to injuries but says the plan is for him to play in the exhibition games in August. (Vicky Graff Photo)
CJ Fredrick could only sit and watch Kentucky play last season after transferring to Kentucky because of a stress fracture and then torn hamstring. Now he says he’s healthy again and his 3-point shooting and defense certainly could be big factors for UK’s backcourt next season.
“I think we have a great balance, some older guys. Obviously, when you have Oscar (Tshiebwe) and Sahvir (Wheeler) coming back, that’s going to help the team out in a lot of ways,” Fredrick said.
“And Jacob (Toppin). Then you have a guy like Daimion (Collins) who showed glimpses, he can make a huge jump with his size and his length.”
He also thinks freshmen Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston and Adou Thiero are “hungry” players who will make a significant impact on the team.
“I think that’s the one thing about this team that you’ll see this year. It’s a lot of guys that kind of have that dog attitude,” Fredrick said. “I think we’ve got a lot of dogs this year. They’re hungry and they want to win. That’s what I’m like, so I’m excited to get after it with them.”
Coach John Calipari is just as excited to have Fredrick ready to play.
“This kid makes every shot, just hasn’t been healthy,” Calipari said on BBN Tonight on WLEX-TV. “He’s so thin, he said I’m going to gain 5-8 pounds of muscle because he looks so good. He looks like he looked in high school.”
Fredrick said last week that he is “probably the most athletic and most quick” he’s been in his basketball career. He’s hoping to play during UK’s four-game exhibition series in the Bahamas in August but warned that is not a given.
“I’m good to go, but they can’t just throw me out there and expect me to play,” Fredrick said. “So, we have a good plan, a good five-week plan that leads up to the Bahamas practices. And that should have me where I need to be.”
“The plan is to play in the Bahamas.”
3 Responses
I hope CJ gets a better chance at PT than Dontaie and Bryce did.
I agree, whodat.
If Cal ever says he needs to find you minutes, go ahead start bringing a pillow to the games. You can sleep on it or use it to prevent the sores on your behind from sitting.
CJ should be a starter getting 30 minutes and 15 shots a game. Calpari reality will be a bench role with 10 minutes a game with 5 shots.