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CJ Fredrick transfer: Cincinnati lands ex-Kentucky, Iowa guard from college basketball portal – 247Sports
Former Iowa and Kentucky guard CJ Fredrick transferred to Cincinnati Monday. The Cincinnati native is returning home for his final season of eligibility. Fredrick averaged 6.1 points, 0.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 27 games this past season for Kentucky.
When healthy, The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard is one of the top shooters in the country. Fredrick shot over 46% from 3-point range in each of his first two seasons at Iowa before transferring to Kentucky.
“It has been a dream come true to play for Coach Cal, the University of Kentucky, and the best fans in the world in Big Blue Nation,” Fredrick wrote on social media. “This experience has been so much better than I could ever have imagined. I have learned so much from Coach Cal on and off the court, and above all I am most grateful to him for teaching me how to be a servant leader. Thank you to my fantastic coaches, trainers, doctors and support staff. You all were great to me.”
But injuries were the story of his Wildcats tenure. Fredrick missed the entire 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery to repair a left hamstring injury. A right hand injury and a rib injury forced Fredrick to miss seven games this past season.
“My teammates truly are my brothers for life,” Fredrick wrote. “I loved going to war with you every game and know we will have relationships for a lifetime. Having to deal with a couple of freakish injuries I hope everyone knows that I’ve given my heart and soul to you and I’m proud that I’ll always get to be a Wildcat.”
Fredrick is a career 41.1% 3-point shooter and owns an eye-popping 78%-career mark at the charity stripe.
“I enjoyed coaching CJ,” Kentucky coach John Calipari tweeted after Fredrick entered the transfer portal. “What I loved most was that he never changed as a person or competitor despite dealing with all of the injuries. He got back up every time and did whatever he could for his team. He knows he’ll always have a supporter in me and I wish him nothing but the best.”
Cincinnati offers the veteran guard one last chance to regain his stride. Cincinnati has boatloads of minutes and shots available for Fredrick after former Big Ten guards Rob Phinisee (Indiana) and David DeJulius (Michigan) exhausted their eligibility. Landers Nolley left for the 2023 NBA Draft and Jeremiah Davenport transferred to Arkansas, so Wes Miller can offer Fredrick a chance to start and earn a featured role.
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Fredrick picked Cincinnati over West Virginia, Xavier, North Carolina, Indiana, St. John’s, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
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