Yesterday, we met perhaps the most popular prospect in this year’s NBA Draft when Jimmer Fredette worked out for the Sacramento Kings. Today, we had the pleasure of talking with someone who knows Jimmer on and off the court best. BYU Cougars Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dave Rose joins us today on the Cowbell Kingdom Podcast.
Highlights
- On the challenges of coaching BYU considering the religious dynamic: “The other teams, they lose players after their freshmen year and they go onto the NBA and they never get them back. So I just kind of look at it in a positive light that they’re coming home in a year or two and we’ll get them back in the program.”
- Regarding Jimmer’s coachability, Coach Rose pointed out Fredette’s experience playing in Las Vegas with Team USA last summer. Rose says that Team USA coaches in the college ranks were impressed with Fredette’s ability to pick up concepts quickly.
- On Jimmer’s defensive prospects: “I think that he’ll be fine. He’s extremely athletic, a lot more than people think. And then he has great upper body strength. I think if he gets in the right system, with the right coaches, guys spending time with him – he’ll find a way to be able to defend so that he can really help his team offensively.”
- Where Jimmer ranks among the players he’s played with and coached: “Well, I think he’s the best offensive player that has ever been on my team, either as a player or a coach, as far as his ability to just make big shots and kind of will your team out of spots during the game.” (Note: Coach Rose played with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler as a member of the great Phi Slamma Jamma Houston Cougar teams of the early 1980s.)
Tune-in after the jump.
[podcast]http://www.cowbellkingdom.com/podcasts/ck_podcast_ep4.mp3[/podcast]
Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound
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