An Ode to Jimmer: I'm Sorry

This March, the NCAA's Butler (University) did not cater to their Major Conference opponents, but simply showed them to the door one by one. Monday Night, UCONN weathered the Mid-Major storm when they defeated the Bulldogs for Jim Calhoun's third title since 1999. In one of the worst Championship games in NCAA history, the Huskies took down Butler who shot less than 20 percent from the field and posted a miniscule two points in the paint. Those facts alone will tell you why this year's Championship game is hardly the topic of this article. As the College Basketball season concludes it would make sense to congratulate the winning team and commemorate this year's cinderella story for their hard fight; but sense is not something I am trying to make. Jimmer Fredette was announced the Associated Press Player of the Year earlier last week, and in all his greatness took the award right out of Kemba Walker's hands. I will not only take this annual opportunity to pay #32 the respect he deserves, but also contemplate on what could have been. A run in with the "BYU Law" changed the complexity of Jimmer's supporting cast, a whole tournament region, and the overall outcome of the NCAA season.

After violating the school's "no sex" policy, forward Brandon Davies was kicked off the BYU basketball team for the remainder of the 2010-11 season, just prior to the Mountain West Tournament. With Davies gone, it would not be his average 11 points 6 rebounds that the Cougars would miss, but rather his big body on defense, and his role as the the team's "number 2" on offense. Aside from Davies, BYU was composed of almost all shooters, with their pair of 6'8'' forwards Noah Hartsock and Stephen Rogers being no exception. Jimmer and the boys lost to San Diego State in their Conference final and the affects of Davies' departure were evident. They had stripped Jimmer of his wing man and instantly made him the lone Cougar boarding the March Madness train; while the rest of his running mates took to the highway.

Let's get straight to the point and address I highly feasible hypothetical situation. Had Brandon Davies remained on the BYU roster for the entirety of the Mountain West and NCAA Tournaments, the Cougars would have been Conference and National Champions; no questions asked, and here is where a big apology is due. Jimmer Fredette you were robbed, robbed of a fair chance to achieve what every College Basketball player dreams of, and the saddest part is, you greatly deserved it. You were one of the most prolific scorers in the history of College Basketball, and had you had that one golden chance you would have delivered and put the icing on one of the most decorated Senior seasons of all time. Whether it was BYU's radical strictness, or Brandon Davies' selfish carelessness, nothing can overshadow what you accomplished in your collegiate years, and even without a Championship your legacy shines. Had you the chance to say one thing as you depart from the College Basketball world, I know just what you'd say, and since you are too classy to do so Ill say it for you: You were lucky Kemba, oh you were so so lucky.

JD