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SALT LAKE CITY -- Before he was an online hit, the talk of ESPN, and on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Jimmer Fredette was just a regular guy. Jimmer's older brother, TJ Fredette, gave us a glimpse of the real Jimmer.
TJ says BYU's venture into the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 has been a wild ride for the family. "It's been unbelievable. It's been overwhelming at times, but we wouldn't change it for the world."
Jimmer works at everything. Everything that he has, he's had to work for.
–TJ Fredette
It's incredible to have a brother on the cover of Sports Illustrated, TJ said. "Any time you can see a family member excel the way that he has and be seen on a magazine as prominent as Sports Illustrated, on the cover, that's like a dream come true."
TJ told KSL that Jimmer's work ethic will help him succeed at basketball and beyond.
"Behind the scenes he puts in so much work, and he's an incredibly determined person. He's very disciplined. He's willing to make the sacrifices that he needs to make, and those are the things you need to have if you want to excel at the next level.
Related:
BYU fans flock to New Orleans
BYU Cougar fans officially outnumber fans of any other school playing in New Orleans this week as part of the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16."Some guys can walk on the court and just have God-given abilities that Jimmer doesn't have as far as size and athleticism. But Jimmer works at everything. Everything that he has, he's had to work for," TJ said.
He added that he's never seen Jimmer so excited as he was after BYU's win against Gonzaga. "He was just like a little kid again. It was such a goal for them to be able to reach that second round, to get past two rounds in the NCAA Tournament this year, do better than last year. That was one of their main goals as a team."
Jimmer is confident going into Thursday's game against Florida. "He goes into every game with confidence and he's ready to play," TJ said. "He feels good. He feels good physically and mentally and I think the team will be ready."
"I'm very confident. I always go in thinking we're going to win and I don't see any reason why we can't. We should be able to get down there and get two wins and get to Texas."
The BYU-Florida game tips off at 5:27 p.m. You can listen to the game on KSL Newsradio 102.7FM/1160AM. However, due to NCAA restrictions we cannot stream the audio on ksl.com.
to watch a live stream of the game online.
