Iowa Transfer CJ Fredrick Signs with Kentucky Men’s Basketball.
Lexington, Kentucky – Iowa Transfer CJ Fredrick, a sharpshooter who made nearly half of his three-point attempts during his two seasons at Iowa, has signed with the Kentucky men’s basketball team.
Fredrick, a 6-foot-3 guard from Cincinnati, averaged 8.8 points per game in 52 appearances for Iowa.
He signed legal paperwork with the UK this week. Fredrick will be immediately eligible for the Wildcats for the 2021-22 season, thanks to a new NCAA transfer regulation that permits all student-athletes to transfer once and receive immediate eligibility.
“I am very excited for this new opportunity in my basketball career,” he stated. “I am grateful for Coach Cal’s belief in me. I am excited to get to work and grow as a player with Coach Cal, the staff, and my future teammates. Thank you to Coach (Fran) McCaffery, the staff, my teammates, and the Iowa fans for three unforgettable years. I can’t wait to get back on the floor at Rupp Arena to help this team win and make Big Blue Nation proud.”
Fredrick is the third transfer added to Kentucky’s roster for the next season in the last three months. Forward Oscar Tshiebwe, a sophomore this season, transferred from West Virginia in late January, and Davidson guard Kellan Grady, a graduate transfer, made his decision in late March.
“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,” John Calipari, head coach of the University of Kentucky, said. “As we all know, CJ is a tremendous shooter, but what stood out on tape is his ball handling – he has an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio – and his defensive ability.
“What I admire about CJ is his approach to all of this. Every talk I’ve had with him has included a detailed strategy for how he intends to grow and where he needs to push his game. He wants to be challenged, coached, and enjoys competition.”
Fredrick is an excellent shooter. In his two collegiate seasons at Iowa, he made 83 3-pointers on 178 tries, for a 46.6% success rate.
After redshirting in 2018-19, Fredrick made 47 3-pointers in 2019-20, averaging 10.2 points and 2.8 assists per game. This season, he averaged 7.5 points per game and made 36 three-pointers, but was hampered in the second half of the season with
In 2019-20, Fredrick led the Big Ten with a 3-point percentage of 46.1%, the most by an Iowa freshman in school history. As a redshirt sophomore last season, that percentage increased to 47.4%. He’s had 11 games with three or more 3-pointers.
Fredrick scored in double figures 19 times during his Iowa career, including four games with 20 or more points. On Christmas last year, he scored a career-high 23 points and tied a career record with five 3-pointers versus Minnesota.
As a redshirt sophomore, Fredrick was named honorable mention All-Big Ten. He made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2019-20. Fredrick was also named Iowa’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient in 2021.
