Jimmer Fredette's NBA workout schedule took him to Sacramento on Thursday for his third of five planned practice sessions prior to the NBA Draft on June 23rd.

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In the boxes below, you can see workout video and Jimmer Fredette interview video, as produced by the Kings production staff.

Wednesday was another day for BYU to reap the exposure dividends of its new affiliations with ESPN, as the Worldwide Leader announced a contract extension with the West Coast Conference, while claiming another Cougar football game for telecast in 2011.

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ESPN's new eight-year contract extension with the WCC will increase the number of men's basketball appearances to an all-time high for the league, making it also the "best deal signed by any non-BCS league," as characterized by Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury-News.

The 2010-11 athletics season was another successful one for BYU and its broadcast partner KSL Radio, as exclusive play-by-play coverage of the Cougars' football and basketball games dominated the sports radio marketplace.

According to Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) data for the Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo Designated Market Area (DMA), BYU broadcasts on KSL Radio continue to garner the largest and most passionate listening audiences in Utah, with ratings comfortably surpassing those of both University of Utah Football/Basketball and Utah Jazz radio broadcasts.

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'Tis the season for preseason research, as the 2011 BYU Football campaign looms less than three months in the distance.

With Phil Steele's College Football Preview arriving at my house over the weekend, I now have in my possession the four magazines that comprise my summer reading staple: Steele's annual opus, and the college football previews by Sporting News, Athlon and Lindy's. The book-form Blue Ribbon Yearbook is on order, so that will soon be on the way.

And, in the last few days, the BYU Athletic Communications Department has released its excellent 2011 Season Prospectus. Football Media Relations Director Brett Pyne and his right-hand man Jordan Christiansen have done a great job of whetting the appetite for Cougar football fans with a comprehensive recap and outlook; it is required reading for people, who like myself, can't get enough off-season analysis.

A New York state high school scoring phenom, Jimmer Fredette returned to his home state on Thursday morning, working out for the New York Knicks, holders of the 17th pick in the first round of the NBA Draft.

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You can watch a pair of post-workout interviews with Jimmer by clicking on the "Related Links" to the right.

While all of the kickoff times are yet to be determined, we now know when BYU's first season as a Division I football independent will officially start, with live play-by-play coverage on KSL Radio.

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As announced by the University of Mississippi today, BYU will open the season Saturday, September 3rd at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, with a 2:45pm MT kickoff; the game will be televised on ESPN.

As first indicated Tuesday in "Cougar Tracks", former University of Utah hoopster Josh Sharp will transfer to BYU after his return from an LDS mission to Texas.

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Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak confirmed Wednesday that Sharp would not return to the Utes program.

The last day of May featured Jimmer Fredette taking part in his first NBA team workout, a session with the Indiana Pacers. The first day of June arrives with Fredette facing a jam-packed three weeks before the NBA Draft on June 23rd.

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Fredette's Pacers' workout was well-received, and he talked about it on an Indianapolis sports radio station with former college coach and current analyst Dan Dakich.

Jimmer Fredette began his NBA workout schedule by performing for the Indiana Pacers Tuesday in Indy, and he did well, according to reports.

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ESPN's Chad Ford:

BYU product Jackson Emery was one of four players to work out for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday morning, while his Cougar backcourt mate Jimmer Fredette opened his NBA team workout schedule in Indianapolis for the Pacers.

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You can hear Emery's post-workout comments along with those of Jazz head coach Ty Corbin by clicking on the audio links in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the right.

Jackson Emery has earned an invitation to work out for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, with BYU's alltime steals leader grabbing a spot in the Jazz' pre-draft workout schedule, along with three other players.

Emery will be part of a group including Michael Stockton (Westmister College), Brady Morningstar (Kansas) and Mustapha Farrakhan (Virginia).

Meantime, Jimmer Fredette's NBA workout schedule tips off Tuesday with a session for the Pacers in Indianapolis.

New BYU Basketball assistant coach Mark Pope sat down with the local sports media on Friday, kidding that he "had to beg Coach Rose" to give him a job at a school he says is "unique, so unique, and that's just become more and more apparent to me...really understanding how unique and special this place is."

Leaving Wake Forest after a single season as an assistant to head coach Jeff Bzdelik, Pope says "I sprinted toward the opportunity to maybe be a part of" the BYU coaching staff after associate head coach Dave Rice left for UNLV.

"This is a place like no other in college basketball, and I'm really fortunate to be here."

The NBA Draft Combine ended days ago, but some of the event's key metrics are only now being released and interpreted. Only time will tell how much the data will be either relied upon or disregarded. In Jimmer Fredette's case, some of his combine numbers have been eye-opening, for many observers.

Others, who have seen Fredette play for years, have to be less surprised that his performance ranked high in some notable categories.

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In releasing new APR scores, the NCAA says Division I academic progress is improving across all sports, while Dave Rose's BYU Basketball team is one of a pair of BYU programs singled out for recognition after another year of exemplary APR scores.

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As defined by the NCAA, APR (Academic Progress Rate) is "a term-by-term measure of eligibility and retention for Division I student-athletes that was developed as an early indicator of eventual graduation rates."

Following in the footsteps of his father and two older brothers, Dylan Collie (#15, pictured above) will be the fourth member of his family to wear BYU blue and catch passes as a Cougar.

The younger Collie called BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall Monday night to notify him of his commitment for the recruiting class of 2012, then added the news to his Facebook page.

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Jimmer Fredette was back on the floor in Chicago on Friday, taking part in the second and final day of on-floor activities at the 2011 NBA Draft Combine.

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After Thursday workouts that included shooting, passing and defensive drills, Friday was reserved for agility and speed testing, along with some court work.

Jimmer Fredette has begun his professional journey by taking part in the 2011 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Fredette participated in team interviews Wednesday night, then hit the floor Thursday morning for an hour of drills and workouts with ten other point guards.

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Skipping the morning session were the projected top three point guards at the combine: Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker. While Knight and Walker will take part in agility testing, Irving is skipping every on-floor session. Fredette is taking part in all sessions.

BYU head basketball coach Dave Rose has hired former Kentucky Wildcat big man Mark Pope as an assistant, with Pope taking the bench spot vacated by Dave Rice.

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A national champion with the Wildcats in 1996, Pope was chosen after an interview process that also included Lone Peak High School head coach Quincy Lewis, a former player under Rose at Dixie College. There are indications it came down to Pope and Lewis as the two finalists for the job.

Rounding the bases on a number of BYU-related topics...

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I asked Tom Holmoe a couple of football schedule-related questions at last week's media gathering--more about timetable and if/when he might have some future games or series to announce.

BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe covered a variety of issues, from the honor code to scheduling to team apparel, when he met with members of the local sports media Thursday afternoon.

You can hear excerpts from the conversation in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the right.

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