Book 4: The Contract

Book 4

The Contract

The Journey of Jimmer Fredette from the Playground to the Pros

By: Pat Forde

Published: 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60907-140-0

Approximately 196  pages

Book 4, The Contract: The Journey of Jimmer Fredette from the Playground to the Pros, by Pat Forde, has been on my shelf for a handful of years. I remember sharing on Facebook that Jimmer was going to be home doing a book signing.  My mom had a friend get me a copy for a Christmas gift.

If you aren't familiar with Jimmer Fredette and "Jimmermania." Here is a brief synopsis of my interpretation prior to reading the book. So Jimmer is from my small hometown area.  He is a product of Glens Falls High School (while I went to South Glens Fall High School a decade before). Our area does not see a many high profile individuals, let alone college or professional athletes, come to stardom. The hand full of names someone might recognize include Dave LaPoint, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Rachel Ray, and Brendan Harris.  Jimmer became the Section II all-time scoring leader in New York State Boys Basketball history (though that and the state scoring records were recently broken). Even though Glens Falls was not considered a "hotbed" for basketball talent, a number of greats had come through the town from high school ranks as the state tournament was hosted at the city's Civic Center (now known as COOL Insuring Arena).

Even with his scoring prowess, Jimmer was not highly recruited to play "big time" Division I basketball at the collegiate level. He had received offers from local Siena College, from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and Brigham Young University (BYU) from the Mountain West Conference.  Jimmer ultimately attend BYU and became a star during his junior and senior seasons. He was a sight to watch with his seemingly unlimited shooting range. Especially being from Glens Falls, he was must see TV for me and some of my friends. We tend to get behind our hometown stars. Living in New Jersey at the time of his rising star, Jimmer was the talk of the Jersey Shore. At least in the eyes of me and my friends.  We would make regular trips to Buffalo Wild Wings to catch later evening games on TV, and to also take advantage of the Bud Light specials after 9pm at the time. Jimmermania even spawned a number of YouTube videos asking to "Teach Me How to Jimmer."

While it was heartbreaking to watch the Cougars not make it to the finals in Jimmer's senior season, much having to do with the loss of a teammate being honest about violating the schools honor code and being dismissed from the team, the hype continued to surround Jimmer. He took home numerous Player of the Year awards, including the coveted John Wooden Award, during that season. Even with all the accolades, he was being doubted as an NBA Lottery Pick and some as an NBA player at all.  Questioning his size, at 6' 2", he has more of the skills of a shooting guard than a point guard, will he be quick enough to keep up with other NBA players, and can he play any defense? Because of our investment in Jimmer during his junior and senior seasons at BYU, my friends and I made the trip to the Prudential Center in Newark to be there when Jimmer was drafted into the NBA. Since the league had invited him to be in the green room, it was a safe assumption he would be a first round pick. I will never forget hearing the ESPN commentators, especially Jay Bilas, say "I think it's Jimmer time" as the 10th pick of the draft approached.  "With the 10th pick, of the 2011 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks select...Jimmer Fredette from Brigham Young University," were the words utter by then commissioner David Stern.  My friends and I dressed in our Glens Falls Basketball gear, while it pained me to don those being a South High Bulldog, cheered, had the kids sitting in front of us hold the sign we made congratulating Jimmer from the upper deck, high fived each other, and scanned the arena for other Jimmer fans. Jimmer had become a lottery pick. We would later find out Jimmer was actually drafted by the Sacramento Kings after a trade with Milwaukee earlier in the draft.

Suddenly, the quiet, predominately hockey crazed town became instant fans of the Sacramento Kings. I was fortunate enough to see Jimmer unexpectedly start his first NBA game in January of 2012 in Philadelphia against the 76ers.  Even more unexpectedly, my friend Brad and I ended up in a box suite with other Jimmer fans on the $15 tickets we had purchased. It was a random Tuesday night game and this was when the Sixers were terrible before "The Process." Jimmer had three up and down season with the Kings.  He then spent some time with the Bulls, Pelicans, Knicks, and Spurs.  Jimmer also spent some time in the NBA Developmental League (D-League, now known as the G League) where he became a D-League All-Star MVP. Jimmer currently is an All-Star in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) with the Shanghai Sharks. Last CBA season he was recognized as the International MVP of the league. He continues to "light it up" in the league regularly scoring 30, 40, or 50 points a night in the league.

Finally having the chance to read the book, there are a number of things I didn't know about Jimmer's journey. First and foremost was the title of the book The Contract. This piece of paper when Jimmer was younger and the agreement he made with his brother TJ was a driving force to reach the platform he did. Additionally, I didn't realize the strong influence TJ had on his basketball development. There were a handful of times, the aspiring rapper, made some missteps with the local and national media the drew some negative attention to himself and that is what I remember about TJ within Jimmer's rise to stardom. Clearly knowing the area and knowing we do not boast NBA level talent, the inventive work that TJ did in compiling training exercises was inspiring to read about in his care and love for his brother. I was also not familiar with TJ's anxiety and vestibular disorders.

There were a few things I noted as I was reading the book. I was aware that Jimmer identifies with the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) and Mormonism, but there are some basics throughout the book that discusses the Mormon faith. Knowing the area is not a space having many regularly practicing Mormons, I was interested to read about Jimmer's transition to BYU and Provo where the faith is more prevalent. It was interesting to read the snippets from Mormons: An Open Book produced by LDS and their list of "Ten Facts to Know When Meeting a Mormon."Additionally, Jimmer identifying as a white player in a sport dominated by non-white players, I appreciated the author spending some time with Jimmer and the Fredette family sharing their perspectives on his journey and navigating that portion of his identity in his new world as well.

While we are all now removed from the Jimmermainia of the early twenty-teens, it is still very much alive in my life tracking and watching Jimmer highlights from China. It was fun to read about local places I grew up with and were familiar with. It also gave me a chance to reminisce about the 2011 NBA Draft and how much fun my friends and I had even just listening to people read off names.  Jimmer was always must see TV with my dad and I whenever one of his teams were on TV. I remember watching his debut with the Bulls and lighting up the Knicks while with the Kings. I also remember his first game in the NBA staying up all night when the Kings played the Lakers, and won, during the lockout shortened season.

I would recommend anyone this book who are fans of Jimmer and/or from the Glens Falls area. We may see some more of this hype over the next year or so out of GFHS!

Citation:
Forde, P. (2012) The Contract: The Journey of Jimmer Fredette from the Playground to the Pros. Shadow Mountain Publishing.

Next Up:

A Whole New World

Liz Braswell