Jimmer Fredette gearing up for his return to Utah

Still, Kings spokesman Devin Blankenship said Fredette fans have been vocal everywhere Sacramento has gone. Most NBA teams try and find a marketing tool to move tickets and try to draw out fans for any reason and Fredette has had his share of Mormon Nights, BYU Alumni and Jimmer Nights where teams have pushed special ticket prices to lure in new faces.

This happened on Monday at Portland where nearly a thousand BYU fans appeared and made it known who they wanted in the game and shooting the ball.

"In Memphis, he had a following. When he hit back-to-back 3-pointers, you could feel a buzz in the arena, like people wanted him to hit another. I was running some stat sheets around at the time, but you could tell there was some anticipating there that he do something," said Blankenship.

"I think, for Jimmer, he's just fading into an NBA season and he's a player trying to make his way."

The Kings seek a leader and scream for some kind of chemistry.

That Fredette got to start on Wednesday bodes well for the former Cougar All-American to have a similar role Saturday against the Jazz.

His homecoming, albeit with a struggling team and issues of his own as part of it, might be futile against Utah, but it is what it is and he'll find plenty of folks who would welcome him at the Jazz nest any time.

Email: dharmon@desnews.com

Twitter: Harmonwrites