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PROVO - BYU senior guard Jimmer Fredette has attracted a lot of attention this season with his outstanding play, forcing teams to learn how to defend his every movement.
With that added attention on Fredette comes the double-, triple-, and sometimes even the quadruple-team, with the opposing team closing in on his every move.
Several teams have tried to shut Fredette down, yet fail to remember that there are more players on the court for BYU that are plenty capable of making great plays.
BYU head coach Dave Rose's philosophy is: "let's see how they're going to guard Jimmer and then we're going to read and react."
Often the double-team comes as a major advantage for BYU, opening up the floor for easy baskets from other players.
Rose described a play where a ball screen is set for Fredette to breakup a double-team. Fredette effectively reads the situation and recognizes that if he uses the ball screen, another opposing player will trap him.
Fredette, instead, drives to the basket, forcing the remaining defenders to close in on him, opening up the perimeter shot for an easy three points.
"We set a lot of ball screens and just let Jimmer have an opportunity to see how they're going to guard him," Rose said.
Because Fredette can read the opposing defense well, it opens up the floor for BYU to let others score.
E-mail: jfurlong@ksl.com
