Yahoo - When BYU opens NCAA tournament play against 14th-seeded Wofford
on Thursday in Denver, some of Jimmer Fredette's most ardent supporters
won't be in the stands at the Pepsi Center or watching from home in
Provo.
Instead, they'll be huddled around TVs in the housing barracks at a medium-security prison in Wilton, N.Y.
Each time Fredette plays a nationally televised game, inmates at Mount McGregor Correctional Facility
gather in the TV lounge in their respective housing units to cheer for
the senior guard. Their connection with Fredette dates back to spring
2007 when the Glens Falls, N.Y., native and his older brother joined a
civilian team that played a handful of basketball games at the prison against the inmates.
"The inmates vote on what they want
to watch on TV each week, and of course, they want to watch Jimmer,"
Mount McGregor recreational director John Montgomery said. "If BYU's on
our local television, every dorm will have the game on. Every inmate
will want to watch. They do have that connection to him. They think,
'God, he was up here playing against us.'"
The more I find out about Jimmer, the more I respect him. I will never respect the ridiculous rules at BYU, but I will be pulling for them based only on respect for Jimmermania. A white boy that can play like that and is not overconfident doesn't come along to often. BYU to the final four in my bracket.
-Dow
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