Jimmer Fredette Talks Team Fredette and Greece

Jimmer Fredette talks TBT basketball and more with ESPN 960 Ben Criddle.

Ben Criddle - “Am I incorrect in my analyst, TJ was a pretty good basketball player, maybe just the timing wasn’t right.  What position did he play and how good was he?”

Jimmer Fredette - “He was very good actually.  He was a true point-guard. He was a really good defender, he got everyone involved, ran the offense really well and could score as you needed him to... he was a very talented player.”

Ben Criddle - “He helped you develop at a very high level early on in your childhood and in your young adulthood.”

“So what is the dynamics like on the bench, Dave (Rose) is the head coach? Are you running the offense? TJ’s running the defense?  What’s the dynamics like?”

Jimmer Fredette - “Coach wants to tag team it, obviously he has all the coaching experience and I have none.  But he is just excited to get back on the court and be able to help out in anyway that he can. It’s a fun thing for me to experience the best coach, in my opinion, at BYU.  We are fortunate enough to have him there in any capacity.”

Ben Criddle - “What makes this team (Team Fredette) so good?”

Jimmer Fredette - “We have some of the same guys from last year and our team did really well in the tournament.  We have some really exciting players, Jordan Crawford, who is always a fan favorite. He’s a small guy but he do everything on the basketball court.  Jeff Ledbetter is back from last year, and everyone loved his blonde, flowing hair. We have some new guys who came that are really talented. So we’ll play a good style of basketball, transition, up-tempo, the way Coach Rose likes to play.”

Ben Criddle - “I wanted to get an update on the news that you signed with Panathinaikos BC in Greece.  I was pretty stoked about it because I looked at it, as I am sure you did, this is just the next challenge for you.  You have done so many great things in your career, this is just the next challenge for you. What went into this decision and how do you feel as the dust settles?”

Jimmer Fredette - “I am definitely excited about it. It’s just a new chapter of my career.  And it’s something I haven’t been able to be apart of before, playing in the Euro League. To be able to play against some of the great players in what is considered to be the second best league in the world.  It gives me new life in my workouts that I have a new challenge ahead, to continue to keep me as motivated as I possible can. I think we are going to have a really good roster with good players that I already know that I’ve played with or against.  The one thing I know is that the fans are absolutely awesome. It’s a really cool atmosphere to be apart of.”

Ben Criddle - “What was the tipping point, what was the deciding factor?”

Jimmer Fredette - “My wife and I were torn for a long time, for probably a couple weeks, thinking about whether we wanted to go back to China or try this new place in Greece.  Talking it over, we decided that it was time for a new chapter in our lives. When I thought about going to China or going to Greece, I was really excited about going to Greece.”

Ben Criddle - “Are you in the best shape of your life? How’s your health?”

Jimmer Fredette - “I feel really, really good right now.  I try to keep in shape every year and try to work on something new every year to try to get myself in even better shape.  Changing my eating habits is something I’ve done throughout my career. I’ve tried to gain a little bit more strength and explosion this season.  I think the last couple of seasons in China Iost some of that because it’s such a long, grinding season but you play a ton of minutes. I feel really good about it now, I have about a month or so till I get out to Greece.”