LEXINGTON - A former Kentucky high school state champion is returning to Rupp Arena.
Iowa guard and former Covington Catholic star CJ Fredrick signed with Kentucky as a transfer Wednesday. Fredrick, who could have as many as three seasons of eligibility remaining at Kentucky, will add another source of strong outside shooting to John Calipari's roster next season as the Hall of Fame coach works to bounce back from the program's worst season since 1927.
"I am very excited for this new opportunity in my basketball career," Fredrick said in a UK news release. "I really appreciate the confidence Coach Cal has in me. I am looking forward to going to work and developing as a player with Coach Cal, the staff and my future teammates. Thank you to Coach (Fran) McCaffery, the staff, my teammates and Iowa fans for three memorable years. I cannot wait to get back on the floor at Rupp Arena to help this team win and make Big Blue Nation proud."
Fredrick led Covington Catholic to the 2018 KHSAA state title and was named Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. The Cincinnati native scored 32 points in the state title game win over Scott County in Rupp Arena, earning Sweet 16 MVP honors.
As a freshman at Iowa, Fredrick redshirted, but he started all 52 games he played in across the next two seasons. He did miss 10 games over the last two seasons due to injuries.
Fredrick averaged 8.8 points and 2.3 assists per game in two seasons at Iowa. He did most of his damage from 3-point range, converting 46.6% of his shots (83 for 178) beyond the arc.
"CJ Fredrick is an established college player from a terrific program who has competed at the highest level and has made big shots and big plays," Calipari said in the release. "As we all know, CJ is a terrific shooter, but what stuck out to make on tape is he takes care of the ball – he has an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio – and he can hold his own defensively. He guarded the best guard on the other team in just about everything I have seen.
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"What I love about CJ is his approach in all of this. In every conversation I have had with him, he has a great plan of how he wants to improve and where he needs to take his game to get better. He wants to be challenged, he wants to be coached and he embraces competition."
Fredrick is the third transfer to join Kentucky's 2021-22 roster, following former West Virginia forward Oscar Tshiebwe and former Davidson guard Kellan Grady. Calipari could dip into the transfer portal again as he searches for at least one point guard in the coming weeks.
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What CJ Fredrick's commitment means for Kentucky basketball's 2021-22 roster
After years of downplaying the importance of the 3-point shot, Calipari appears to be embracing a more modern style of play after shooting struggles played a key role in Kentucky's 9-16 2020-21 season.
"I also see the game going more about skill," Calipari said on his radio show after the season ended. "Still have to have a certain level of athleticism. More about skill. It was only 5-7 years ago it was all athleticism, length. OK, you don’t shoot it well. But now if you can have great skills, dribbling it, passing it, shooting it … your skills start negating all that other stuff."
Both Grady (36.6% from 3-point range at Davidson) and Fredrick should provide two elite shooters to space the floor for Kentucky next season. Assuming he returns to UK as planned, redshirt freshman guard Dontaie Allen would provide another strong shooting option if he can earn a larger role.
Senior guard Davion Mintz, who is testing the NBA draft waters, would bring even more shooting ability to the roster if he elects to return to school to use the NCAA's extra year of eligibility.
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Now Calipari must find a point guard capable of consistently finding those shooters open looks.
Mintz could play some point guard if he returns to school but was used primarily off the ball last season. Devin Askew, the Wildcats' primary point guard, transferred to Texas, and Nolan Hickman, the McDonald's All-American point guard who signed with Kentucky in November, was released form his Letter of Intent to explore other options last week.
Kentucky is a finalist for five-star high school point guard TyTy Washington, who has planned a May 15 commitment date, and has been linked to almost every high-level point guard in the transfer portal. Marcus Carr (Minnesota) and Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia) are the top two transfer point guards available, but both players could be weeks away from a decision as they first testing the NBA draft waters before deciding whether to return to college.
Calipari is also still waiting on a stay-or-go decision from sophomore forward Keion Brooks, who could play the three or four if he returns to Kentucky next season. Freshman forward Isaiah Jackson, a projected first-round pick, has entered the NBA draft but left open the option to return to Kentucky next season.
Email Jon Hale at [email protected]; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.
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