BYU basketball: Jimmer Fredette knows honors also bring challenges

PROVO — The preseason honors bestowed upon BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette come with welcome prestige, but also a challenge.

On Monday, the Associated Press named Fredette as a first-team All-American, the fifth preseason All-American team that has included the senior from Glens Falls, N.Y.

"It's quite an honor for all of us, our coaching staff, Jimmer as a player, our program and the university. It's quite impressive," BYU coach Dave Rose said.

Fredette appreciates the AP honor more than any other.

"I think it's the one that everyone looks at," Fredette said. "It's an exciting thing for our program, an exciting thing for myself, my family and friends, and I'm looking forward to proving it this year."

Fredette, who received 49 first-team votes from 65 ballots nationwide, joins Duke's Kyle Singler (62 votes), Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (53 votes), Purdue's JuJuan Johnson (46 votes) and North Carolina's Harrison Barnes (17 votes.)

Fredette has played and practiced against them all during various camps and this past summer's USA Basketball Camp in Las Vegas.

"They are all good guys and they're all very good basketball players," he said.

The honors Fredette is receiving not only recognize him, but give credence to the Cougars basketball program as well, he said. National attention always seems to help in rankings and in obtaining a high postseason tournament seed. The Cougars are ranked No. 24 in the AP preseason Top 25.

"Hopefully people will know about us right at the start of the season, so it's a big thing for our whole program," Fredette said.

However, Fredette and Rose know preseason honors don't guarantee anything. None of last season's preseason AP All-Americans was named on the postseason All-American team. One goal the Cougars and Fredette have is to change that this season.

"That's a challenge," Rose said. "Hopefully between our team and our coaching staff and Jimmer's ability, I mean he will be a marked man every game, so we're all really going to have to support him. We know he's a good player, and everyone else is going to know he's a good player, so the rest of us are really going to have to improve our games to make sure he's successful . . . I'll have to be careful, not to mess up an AP All-American. It's the first time I've ever coached one."