Sahvir Wheeler: "CJ (Fredrick) is an elite, elite, elite, elite shooter"

Kentucky guard CJ Fredrick has established himself as one of the top 3-point shooters in all of college basketball — if not the best overall. Transferring from Iowa last offseason, the 6-foot-4 native of Cincinnati, OH entered the year as the nation’s leading returner in career 3-point field-goal percentage (46.6%) with a minimum of 150 attempts. This past season alone, he knocked down 47.4% from three on 2.8 attempts per contest — he hit 46.1% on 4.1 attempts per game the year before.

Injuries prevented Fredrick from making his debut in a Kentucky uniform, missing the entire 2021-22 season after undergoing hamstring surgery in November. That doesn’t mean his shooting presence wasn’t felt and understood during preseason workouts and throughout the rehab process.

“CJ is an elite, elite, elite, elite shooter,” Kentucky point guard Sahvir Wheeler said of Fredrick.

The former Covington Catholic star won the 2021 Big Blue Madness 3-point contest, the first and only public appearance he made in his first year as a Wildcat. Behind the scenes, though, Fredrick not only showed off his status as an elite 3-point shooter, but was also a standout teammate, as well.

“As a person, he’s just selfless and wants to make sure we’re good,” Wheeler said. “He’s always asking us if we need rides, ‘Sahvir, you good? You need anything?’ That’s going to affect us on the court, having someone like that. He has a lot of experience playing for a good Iowa team, and he’s watched from afar so he knows what to do and how he can help us.

“CJ is going to be a great piece added. Hopefully he stays healthy, because we need him and really want him. I’m excited to see what he can bring to us, as well.”

Availability has been a concern, playing just 52 games in four years of college. He redshirted at Iowa in 2018-19 and then missed this past season with a hamstring issue. He also battled plantar fasciitis and had a minor clean-up surgery done on his leg last July.

Returning to campus this week, Fredrick says he’s a few tests away from being cleared for full-contact workouts.

“I’m really happy where my health is,” Fredrick said at his Players First Satellite Camp in Louisville on Wednesday. “… My hamstring feels really good, my body feels really good. I’ll be working out with the team this summer, doing everything with the team this summer in preparation of playing this season. I’m feeling good, I’m excited.”

What should be expected of him once he makes his Wildcat debut? Look at former Kentucky sharpshooter Kellan Grady as an example. Fredrick says UK head coach John Calipari has told him he’ll fill a similar role this season as Grady did in 2021-22.

The biggest focus: creating open shots for the former Iowa standout.

“That’s something that me and Coach (Cal) have talked about, filling in that role, what Kellan was like,” Fredrick said. “We space the floor and knock down shots. Run a little floppy action, come off those down screens. I see myself doing a lot of what Kellan did. We’re different, but I think that’s kind of a role I’ll be in.”

Wheeler sees the similarities, but stressed that it’s not fair to Fredrick to put that pressure on him from day one, especially after seeing the impact Grady made in his lone year in Lexington. At least until he can see him in a live setting.

Grady finished the season shooting a career-high 41.7% from three on an absurd 6.2 attempts per contest. Those are clearly big shoes to fill, regardless of how things ended.

“CJ can really shoot the ball, but unlike those guys, I haven’t seen him shoot in a real game setting yet,” Wheeler said. “It’s not fair to judge them by that quite yet. From what I’ve seen on film, what I saw from Iowa when I was a sophomore at Georgia, CJ could really shoot.”

Big shoes, sure, but Fredrick can’t help but get excited about his role this season. After watching from the sidelines this past year, he was able to see the shot opportunities and spacing Grady had from the perimeter. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to something similar this fall.

“A lot of the games, I was sitting next to Riley (Welch), the graduate assistant. We would sit and analytically look at the game a little differently,” Fredrick said. “I’m an older guy now, so I try to learn the game as many different ways I can. I was just amazed in the SEC how many open shots I’m going to get. Kellan had games where he’d make six, seven threes, and they’re still having to space off of him a little bit. That was something that lit up my eyes.”

With so many playmakers and facilitators on this year’s roster, Fredrick sees the value he can bring as a sharpshooter from day one.

“We just have so many different playmakers that will let me get some open looks,” he said. “That’s something that really stands out to me and is exciting to me. Just getting my defender off me a little bit and having a big guy like Oscar setting screens, that’ll really help me a lot. Having playmakers like Cason, Sahvir, guys that can get me open shots, the way some teams in the SEC defend, I think it’ll really benefit me and help the team out a lot. “