Vicky Graff Photo
Despite five straight years of battling injuries, CJ Fredrick is not ready for his college basketball career to end. However, he won’t be back for a third year at Kentucky. He announced Friday he would weigh his professional options but also put his name into the transfer portal.
“Having fulfilled this lifetime dream, I feel it is in my best interest to explore every option for my future for so many reasons,” Fredrick posted on social media. “In addition to considering a professional option, I’ll be entering the transfer portal while maintaining my college eligibility.”
He said he “loved going to war”with his teammates and that despite dealing with freakish injuries, he had “given my heart and soul” to the Kentucky program. He also praised coach John Calipari for teaching him to be a “servant leader” during his two years at Kentucky.
The former Covington Catholic star was at Iowa for three years, including a redshirt season, before transferring to UK. He had to sit out his first year at Kentucky after hamstring surgery and missed seven games last season with hand and rib injuries. He averaged 6.1 points per game but shot only 32 percent from 3-point range.
However, interest in Fredrick heated up quickly. National college basketball writer Dick Weiss reported a few hours after Fredrick’s announcement that North Carolina, Indiana, St. John’s, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Xavier, West Virginia and Oklahoma reached out quickly to Fredrick.
Calipari certainly is a Fredrick supporter.
“I enjoyed coaching CJ. What I loved most was that he never changed as a person or competitor despite dealing with all of the injuries,” Calipari said on Twitter. “He got back up every time and did whatever he could for his team. He knows he’ll always have a supporter in me and I wish him nothing but the best.”
