Fredette shows offensive skill in W-Knicks' 102-90 win

WHITE PLAINS - On his first possession in the D-League, Jimmer Fredette slid into the paint and confidently drove to the basket to score an easy two points.

For the rest of the night, the newest member of the Westchester Knicks showed off the offensive talent to the crowd, which included famous boxer Floyd Mayweather, that made him a national star at Brigham Young University during his college days.

He finished with 37 points and eight assists, and the team got a comeback 102-90 win over the Grand Rapids Drive at the Westchester County Center on Monday night.

"When I step out there, I try to do what I always do, and that's be aggressive and score the ball and pass out and get others involved," Fredette said. "The ultimate goal is to be able to make it back to the NBA."

The Westchester Knicks, which finished with the second-worst record in the NBA D-League last year at 10-40, is now 6-0 to start their second season.

Along with Fredette, the team also got a late addition a few hours before the game from the parent New York Knicks club in Cleanthony Early. He finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

The additions were welcome for the team, who lost double-double machine DaJuan Summers to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury back on November 22nd.

“I think throughout the course of a long season, when you have these opportunities to add players like this to your team, its a good experience for everybody," Westchester head coach Mike Miller said. "I think everyone benefits from having them.”

Grand Rapids opened up with a 25-21 lead in the first quarter, despite Fredette's 10 points, three assists and two rebounds in that span.

Westchester managed to take a 29-27 lead at the 9:02 mark of the second quarter off of a Darion Atkins lay-up, but Grand Rapids rolled off seven straight points, capped off by a Ryan Boatright three-pointer, to take the lead back.

At halftime, Grand Rapids led 52-45.

Westchester managed to take the lead back with a Fredette three-pointer at the 3:31 mark of the 3rd quarter. After Grand Rapids' Lorenzo Brown answered back with a three of his own, Early hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Knicks a 68-65 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. The Knicks would hold the lead for the rest of the way.

Both Fredette and Early hope playing at Westchester will lead to NBA fortune. For Early, a second-year player who has only played 24 total minutes for the parent New York club this season, his stay will likely be temporary, according to Westchester coach Miller. This stint will be a chance for Early to get playing time.

"Cle brings so much to the table, just in terms of his athletic ability," Miller said. "He does so many things well, and I thought it was good for him to play those extended minutes to help his development.”

Fredette is a slightly different story; he is hoping to get another chance at the NBA after he was waived by New Orleans on November 19th. The 26-year-old guard has been unable to adjust to the NBA game so far in his professional career since he was drafted 10th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft; he has already bounced between four different organizations.

Aside from his scoring exploits, Fredette also struggled defensively at times, an aspect of his game that has been criticized at the NBA level.

"I got back-doored a couple of times," he said. "I got to work on continuing to manage and make sure we get good shots on every possession. The biggest thing is I just have to get in a rhythm and then hopefully, get onto a team where I can provide a spark off the bench."

The parent New York club currently has a roster spot open. Before he signed with New Orleans, Fredette had signed on with the Westchester Knicks with that spot in mind.

“He’s had a lot of different experiences over the last couple of years. He’s a better player now; he has more experience, he’s more mature," Miller said. "I think its fun for him; I’m glad he’s here and I’m excited for him to go out here and give him a chance and give us a chance to move forward.”

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