PROVO, Utah, June 4, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — “Jimmer-mania” reached Vienna, Austria, as former BYU sharpshooter Jimmer Fredette led all players in scoring and helped the U.S. to a silver medal in his FIBA 3×3 World Cup debut.
Fredette had an open 3-pointer to win the game, but the ball bounced around the rim and then out in Team USA’s 21-19 loss to Serbia on Sunday. He scored 10 points in the loss, making him the tournament’s leading scorer with 59 points (8.4 per game).
Fredette, the National Player of the Year in 2011 at BYU, also was selected to the Team of the Tournament, joining World Cup MVP Strahinja Stojacic, who led Serbia with 55 points (7.9 per game), and Nauris Miezis, who scored 49 points (7.0 per game) as Latvia took bronze.
Dylan Travis added 33 points (4.7 per game) for Team USA, with Canyon Barry finishing with 27 (3.9 per game) and Kareem Maddox chipping in with 26 (3.7 per game).
Sunday’s victory is the sixth FIBA 3×3 World Cup title for Serbia in the eight iterations of the tournament.
On the the women’s side, the U.S. won gold for the third time as Hailey Van Lith and Cierra Burdick combined for 14 points in a 16-12 victory over France. Team USA’s Cameron Brink finished the tournament with 39 points and was named World Cup MVP.
Fredette was selected 10th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, who then traded him to the Sacramento Kings. He appeared in 251 games during his six-year NBA career, while also playing in Greece and China.
Fredette was the nation’s leading scorer at 28.9 points per game in 2010-11 and guided the Cougars to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1981. He was named the consensus National Player of the Year and also won the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Oscar Robertson Trophy.
Fredette left BYU as the university’s all-time leading scorer with 2,599 points, including 1,068 points in 2010-11 to set a single-season record. His 28.9 points per game in 2010-11 are the most in school history.
