Jimmer Fredette leads BYU Cougars back to his hometown

Expect to read stories, see television reports and hear a lot of radio discussion of Jimmer Fredette this week. This attention for a BYU player who earned a lot of attention last season, isn't completely new. He entered the national spotlight when he dropped 49 points on Arizona and then on the first day of 2010's March Madness when he (along with Michael Loyd Jr.) helped the Cougars defeat high-profile Florida, to advance out of the first round of the NCAA tournament with 37 points.

The senior already has been restyled as a superhero by DC Comics and Sports Illustrated and has a song written for him with a video in rotation at YouTube.

The hype for the current basketball season really began when Fredette announced he would return to BYU for his senior season rather than take his chances in the NBA draft.

And, during the heart of the college football season and in the NBA's startup, Fredette still managed to shoulder into the news cycle and grab a few headlines himself. Our Jim Rayburn noted that Fredette learned a lot this summer with USA basketball. You can read another nice story about it here.

He was also named to virtually every preseason All-American team including those by Sports Illustrated, Associated Press and Dick Vitale.

Of course, with underclassmen leaving college for NBA, that doesn't mean Fredette will be a successful professional. Draft express has an in-depth NBA scouting report that paints a realistic picture of what the 6'2'' guard's chances are in the the world's premiere basketball league.

Last season's high mark for media attention was the Cougars finally getting through the 17-year drought of not winning an NCAA tournament game.

But with his return to his hometown of Glens Falls this Wednesday, a lot more coverage is burning up the interwebs from both Utah and from New York, including this excellent piece about his family.

If you manage to watch the game on CBS College Sports network (5 p.m. Mountain Time), you will be sure to see commercials promoting the area where Fredette grew up. The game is so big locally that it earned its own editorial and a list of Chuck Norris-like jokes, which might reveal that the hype has grown a little too big.

One of the factors that should make the game fun is the possibility that the guard will use the stage to do something big for his family and friends like he did in the video below featuring KSL's Greg Wrubell on the call.

Related Stories

• Fredette is hometown's big hero

• Old friend excited for Fredette

• Jim Rayburn's blog on Jimmer Fredette