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(press release)PROVO -- BYU guard Jimmer Fredette announced Saturday he has decided to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and return to BYU for his senior season.
"I had a great experience going through the whole process," Fredette said. "I met some great people and learned a lot. I was able to impresses a lot of people and I think they will be interested to see how I do this coming season. I hope to play extremely well my senior year and achieve our team goals and my personal goals and get drafted next year."
The 6-foot-2 junior declared for the NBA Draft on April 19 but did not hire an agent to maintain his eligibility. Fredette earned numerous honors in 2009-10 while leading BYU to a 30-6 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was named to five All-America teams, the All-Mountain West Conference First Team and All-District by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Fredette was also named the USBWA Player of the Year.
In 2009-10, Fredette averaged 22.1 points, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals and eclipsed 20 points 22 times and 30 points eight times. Fredette had several notable games, setting BYU records with 49 points and nine threes at Arizona and an MWC Tournament record with 45 points against TCU. He tied the Cougar record for points in an NCAA Tournament game with 37 against Florida.
The two-year starter also earned first-team All-MWC honors as a sophomore in 2008-09 when he helped the Cougars to a 25-8 record, an MWC regular season title and an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Fredette is the first BYU point guard to earn first-team all-conference honors in consecutive seasons since Danny Ainge, who was named to the All-WAC First Team from 1978-81.
A native of Glens Falls, N.Y., Fredette worked out for the Boston Celtics, the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"This was a great experience for Jimmer," BYU head coach Dave Rose said. "He got a lot of really positive feedback and he'll use it to make himself a better player. Jimmer's a great player and we're looking forward to next season. His family is very supportive of this decision and is really looking forward to his senior season at BYU."
