Balanced Team Fredette downs Ohio State alums 100-78 for TBT semifinal berth


3 photos
Save Story

Show 2 more videos

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — The summer of Jimmer continues into the "Final Four" of a national basketball tournament.

After dropping 41 points with five assists in Friday’s Super 16 win, former BYU star Jimmer Fredette scored an efficient 28 points with six assists to lead Team Fredette to a 100-78 win over Scarlet & Gray in quarterfinals Sunday of the $2 million, winner-take-all The Basketball Tournament at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Fredette, who is entering his second year of a million-dollar deal with the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association, didn’t need to score from "Jimmer range" nearly as much against the Aaron Craft, Jared Sullinger and Greg Oden-led alumni squad from Ohio State.

He also got a lot of help from his teammates, like former Provo High standout Brandon Davies and Ra’shad James, who each poured in 16 points.

Former Utah Jazz big Jack Cooley added 16 points, as well.

“We played controlled. We controlled the whole game with Jack and Brandon down low,” Fredette told ESPN. “We played together, we shared the ball. … It was a whole-team effort tonight. That’s what we do.”

Fredette did not hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter. But the 29-year-old former BYU star scored six points in the first quarter, including a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer that gave Team Fredette a 21-17 advantage.

It was the first opening-quarter advantage of the tournament for the Team Fredette squad that was composed of players who have played with Fredette through his multifaceted basketball career, including ex-BYU standouts Davies and Charles Abouo, and former Westchester Knicks guard Jordan Crawford.

Cooley scored back-to-back buckets, including a 3-point play in the final minute of the half, to help Team Fredette to a 51-37 lead at halftime.

Fredette had 12 points and four assists at the break for a team that turned the ball over just six times with nine forced against the Ohio State alumni.

"It was a great opportunity to play against two phenomenal big men,” Cooley said. “This is so much fun, to get to play against so many great players. But I have one of the best players I’ve ever played with on my team in Jimmer.”

But it was “the other James” — Ra'shad James, that is — that took over in the second half. The former NAIA Division II player of the year from White Plains, New York, dunked on Craft in transition early in the second half, and then nailed his fourth 3-pointer of the game to give Team Fredette a 74-60 advantage en route to a 76-64 lead after three quarters.

“We got all these guys for a reason,” said Fredette, whose brother T.J. put together the roster as general manager. “It was a great effort by our team. … We’re all professionals, so we know how to play. As long as you get guys who know how to win and play unselfishly, we’re going to play good basketball.”

Team Fredette will face Eberlein Drive in the semifinals Aug. 2 at 5 p.m. MDT in Baltimore.

Overseas Elite, the three-time defending champion of the fourth-year tournament, and Golden Eagles, a team of Marquette alums, will play in the other semifinal. Both games, as well as the championship Aug. 3, will be broadcast on ESPN.

"This is a really good team," Team Fredette coach Mike Taylor told ESPN. "It's more than a one-man show.

"We're really looking forward to Baltimore next weekend."

Photos

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsBYU Cougars
KSL.com BYU and college sports reporter

SPORTS NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Newsletter Signup

KSL Weather Forecast

KSL Weather Forecast
Play button