Fans Excited To See Fredette Play Against Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Who would have ever guessed that a late-season matchup against the lowly Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz would be such a hot ticket?

With the Suns’ signing of former BYU star Jimmer Fredette, the game became the biggest show in town Monday night.

Prior to tipoff, there was a smattering of fans eager to see “The Jimmer,” who captured the nation’s full attention back in 2011 as the top scorer in college basketball.

Among those fans was Jacob Rasmussen, who stood out among the crowd with his Shanghai Sharks jersey, complete with Fredette’s name and number on the back.

Spotted at the Jazz-Suns game. Jimmer is in town and has drawn an early crowd. #JimmerTime pic.twitter.com/NEo8U00q53

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 25, 2019

“I got this for Christmas,” Rasmussen explained. “This is was the one thing I wanted for Christmas, a Jimmer jersey. Nailed it.”

Like many Fredette fans, Rasmussen became a fan of Fredette during his incredible run in the NCAA Tournament, when he led the Cougars to the Sweet 16. Rasmussen’s fanhood is so deep that he was even rocking Fredette’s signature sneaker, made by the Chinese brand 361 and not easily available in the United States.

While Fredette has had several chances to make it in the NBA, Rasmussen is optimistic that this will be the one that will stick.

He’s even got the Jimmer 361 “Lonely Master” shoes!!! pic.twitter.com/AaGH6YW8ZD

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 25, 2019

“He just needs an opportunity, I think once he gets the opportunity to do more than he’s doing now. I’m excited for him. I hope he gets a chance,” said Rasmussen.

Jared Cortum also stood out in a Fredette jersey. His was a replica from Fredette’s days in Sacramento, when he first came into the NBA. Despite the age of the jersey, it was new to Cortum, who said he bought off someone on Facebook the day before.

“I said ‘I got to full-on embrace this,’” said Cortum when he found out that Fredette would be coming to town with the Suns. So he went online and found the jersey at a reasonable price and drove 45 minutes to pick it up.

He picked up tickets with his roommate, Austin Dittmer, before Suns signed Fredette over the weekend. The two were thrilled to see that Fredette was added to the roster days before Phoenix came to Utah.

Hey Utah fans, you going for Jimmer or the Jazz tonight?!

🏀 Presented by @CasinoArizona
🆚 @utahjazz
🕖 6PM
📱 @FOXSPORTSAZ | https://t.co/GHNaT5fOHN pic.twitter.com/YdYScKy7AI

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) March 25, 2019

For Dittmer, who tuned in to watch Fredette play in The Basketball Tournament last year, it’s not outside the realm of possibilities to drive down to Phoenix to see Fredette play some more.

“Hopefully if he stays there, it’s a possibility,” said Dittmer. “I have some friends down there. I might be able to make something happen.”

For Monday night at least, seeing Fredette at Vivint Smart Home Arena was more than enough for his fans in attendance.