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Former BYU star and Naismith Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette is retiring from basketball.

The 36-year-old, who most recently played for Team USA’s 3×3 team in last year’s Olympics, once led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 while averaging almost 29 points per game.

“I owe a lot of who I am today to this game and it’s not easy to say goodbye as a player,” he said. “But the time has come. I’m excited for what’s next in life.”

Fredette last played professionally in 2020-21 with the Shanghai Sharks in China.

Fredette will be best known for his college days, when he captivated the sport with his scoring outbursts. He scored 52 points in a game and tallied more than 1,000 points in a single season. He had six 40-point games and 24 nights with 30 points or more. Hysteria — dubbed “Jimmermania” — followed him everywhere as BYU sold out nightly.

In his senior season, BYU looked ready to make a Final Four run when it was 27-2. But BYU’s season was cut short, losing to Florida during the second weekend of the tournament.

Fredette was selected 10th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft by Sacramento. He bounced around in the NBA but never truly found his footing in the league. He spent a few seasons with the Kings, Pelicans, Bulls and Suns. He was a G League player in the New York Knicks organization. He finished his career averaging 6 points per game over 241 NBA appearances.

The most fruitful years of his professional career came overseas, where he was the Sharks’ all-time leader in three-point makes. In his four seasons in China, he averaged nearly 37 points per game three times. His last season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fredette ended his career in an offshoot of the sport, playing for Team USA’s 3×3 squad in the 2024 Olympics. He was Team USA’s best player, but suffered an injury in the Paris games and the team did not medal.

Fredette is yet to have his jersey retired at BYU, but will be eligible for the honor next year. BYU has a 15-year waiting period to retire a jersey.

The U20 freestyle division at the 2025 US Open goes down Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 in Las Vegas. Before all the action gets underway, check out our preview plus top-eight predictions for all ten weights!

57 kg 

13 ranked HS wrestlers: #1 Anthony Knox, #2 Christian Castillo, #2 Ronnie Ramirez, #2 Jayden Raney, #3 Henry Aslikyan, #3 Joseph Uhorchuk, #5 Revin Dickman, #6 Domenic Munaretto, #8 Carter Chunko, #9 Dominic Deputy, #10 Gauge Botero, #14 Antonio Mills, #19 Aydan Thomas

High impact college guys: Vinny Kilkeary, Ohio State; Kael Lauridsen, Nebraska; Mack Mauger, Missouri; Davis Motyka, Penn; Gage Singleton, Oregon State; Ayden Smith, Rutgers; Cam Stinson, North Carolina; Nick Treaster, Navy; Mason Ziegler, Lehigh

Vinny Kilkeary and Anthony Knox, the second and third place finishers at this tournament a year ago, are the only returners from the top eight at 57 kg. Kilkeary beat Knox in the quarterfinal last year in a bout without a takedown. Knox went on to finish third while Kilkeary fell in the finals to eventual U20 World champ Luke Lilledahl. It’s worth noting that Lilledahl is still U20 eligible but registered for the Senior division in Vegas with his eyes on a rematch with Spencer Lee at Final X.

Kilkeary & Knox’s 2024 U20 US Open Quarterfinal

Knox and Kilkearly could be on a collision course this year, but this bracket has plenty of talent looking to derail the potential rematch. 57 kg has 13 nationally ranked high schoolers and no shortage of tough young college guys. Christian Castillo, Jayden Raney, Henry Aslikyan, and Dom Munaretto have all won U17 world medals in either freestyle or Greco.

College fans will want to keep an eye on this bracket to get a look at several potential starting 125-pounders for the 2025-26 season. Kael Lauridsen (Nebraska), Mack Mauger (Missouri), Ayden Smith (Rutgers), Cam Stinson (North Carolina), and more will all vie for starting jobs next season. Strong showings in Vegas could signal that they’re ready to make an impact during the upcoming NCAA season.

Prediction: 1) Anthony Knox 2) Vinny Kilkeary 3) Jayden Raney 4) Kael Lauridsen 5) Ronnie Ramirez 6) Mack Mauger 7) Dom Munaretto 8) Davis Motyka

61 kg 

15 ranked HS wrestlers: #3 Aaron Seidel, #3 Nathan Desmond, #6 Matthew Botello, #7 Manuel Saldate, #8 Isaiah Cortez, #8 Tyler Dekraker, #9 Layne Kleimann, #10 Antonio Rodriguez, #12 Slater Hicks, #13 Deven Casey, #15 Sam Herring, 61 kg – #16 Elijah Cortez, #18 Khimari Manns, #18 Kellen Wolbert, #18 Dean Anderson

High impact college guys: JJ McComas, Oklahoma State; Adrian Meza, Iowa State; Omar Ayoub, Nebraska; Mason Gibson, Rutgers; Kyler Larkin, Arizona State

Incoming Arizona State freshman Kyler Larkin may be the favorite to with 61 kg this year. He’s a US Open finalist, Fargo champ, and U17 World team member whose best performances have been in freestyle over the years. He could be a big part of Arizona State’s future, so Sun Devil fans will want to keep an eye on this bracket. JJ McComas (Oklahoma State), Adrian Meza (Iowa State), Omar Ayoub (Nebraska), and Mason Gibson (Rutgers) will also look to crack lineups for their respective colleges after time in D1 rooms.

Plenty of highly ranked college commits will also make this an incredibly deep weight. Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech), Nate Desmond and Sam Herring (Penn State), Matthew Botello (North Carolina), Isaiah and Elijah Cortez (Cornell), Tyler Dekraker (Ohio State), Layne Kleimann (Utah Valley), Deven Casey (Penn), Khimari Manns (Brown), Antonio Rodriguez (Arizona State), and Kellen Wolbert (Oklahoma State) have all had impressive high school careers and will look to take home hardware from Vegas.

Of the high school group, Aaron Seidel poses the biggest threat to win this bracket. He fell to Nate Desmond at the Open last April, but since then he avenged his loss to Desmond and has notched victories over #6 Botello, #8 (126) Cortez, and #8 Dekraker who are all in this field. He won Fargo and Beast of the East last year but fell at Who’s Number One and in the finals of Super 32 and PIAAs. A US Open title would cap a massively successful year for the Virginia Tech commit and give him an automatic spot in the best of three finals at the U20 trials.

Prediction: 1) Kyler Larkin 2) Aaron Seidel 3) Adrian Meza 4) Mason Gibson 5) Nate Desmond 6) Matthew Botello 7) Manny Saldate 8) Tyler Dekraker

65 kg 

13 ranked HS wrestlers: #1 Bo Bassett, #2 Daniel Zepeda, #2 Eren Sement, #3 Sergio Vega, #4 Dalton Perry, #5 Drew Gorman, #7 Nathaniel Askew, #7 Noah Nininger, #10 Camden Baum, #17 Tyler Traves, #19 Jesse Grajeda, #20 Drake Hooiman, #20 Jason Worthley

High impact college guys: Luke Stanich, Lehigh; Pierson Manville, Arizona State; Gabriel Bouyssou, Cornell; Alex Braun, Oklahoma; Kolter Burton, Oklahoma State; Joey Butler, Indiana; Jack Consiglio; Stanford; Smokey McClure, Utah Valley

65kg is widely regarded as one of the deepest domestic men’s freestyle weights, and this year’s field at the U20 US Open represents that depth. Six high school wrestlers are ranked in the top five in their respective weight classes. On top of a stacked high school contingent, Lehigh All-American Luke Stanich and a bunch of other accomplished young college guys will create awesome matchups at this weight starting in the early rounds.

Iowa commit Bo Bassett is the returning champ at this weight. He parlayed his success last April into a U20 World team spot and an eventual bronze medal. He won’t see last year’s finalist, Aden Valencia, in Vegas although Valencia could still enter the U20 World Team Trials in May. 2024 placers Pierson Manville, Drew Gorman, and Gabriel Bouyssou will look to improve on their finishes from a year ago.

Bassett is the clear favorite, and while he hasn’t lost to domestic competition since the Last Chance Olympic Team Trials qualifier finals over a year ago when he fell to multiple time Princeton All-American Matt Kolodzik. Despite his consistent succes, Bassett has been tested. The two wrestlers in the field who have given him his closest matches this year are Daniel Zepeda and Sergio Vega. Bassett and Vega had a 14-12 barn burner in last year’s round of 16 that came down to the wire. Daniel Zepeda forced overtime in his rubber match against Bassett in the Super 32 finals. Nobody is safe in this bracket.

Luke Stanich may prove to be Bassett’s toughest competition. The Lehigh All-American has been on an upward trajectory during his first two years of college. When he moved from 125 lbs where he finished 5th at the 2024 NCAA Championships to 141 lbs for his redshirt year, some wrestling fans wondered whether he would be as competitive two weight classes above where he competed the previous season. He answered those questions by defeating Michigan round of 12 finisher Sergio Lemley and All-Americans Kai Orine and CJ Composto in unattached competition this season.

Relive last year’s insane 65kg US Open action

Prediction: 1) Bo Bassett 2) Luke Stanich 3) Daniel Zepeda 4) Sergio Vega 5) Pierson Manville 6) Gabriel Bouyssou 7) Jack Consiglio 8) Alex Braun

70 kg

14 ranked HS wrestlers: #1 PJ Duke, #1 Landon Robideau, #2 Kollin Rath, #3 Melvin Miller, #3 Collin Gaj, #3 Logan Paradice, #5 Maddox Shaw, #7 Vince Bouzakis, #9 Beau Hickman, #9 Ishmael Guerrero, #10 Wyatt Medlin, #10 Chase Van Hoven, #16 Gus Cardinal, #19 Blase Mele, #20 Ryan Lawler

High impact college guys: Cross Wasilewski, Penn; Jaxon Joy, Cornell; EJ Parco, Stanford; Laird Root, North Carolina

PJ Duke dominated his way to the U20 World team last year, and he just might do it again this weekend, but he’ll have to navigate a deep bracket in Vegas. Five different wrestlers in this field (Landon Robideau, Kollin Rath, Melvin Miller, Collin Gaj, and Maddox Shaw) have competed in Who’s Number One, 14 are ranked high schoolers, and there are no shortage of college competitors.

Returning place winners from last year at this weight include Duke and #1 ranked 157-pounder Landon Robideau who finished 4th. Few wrestlers have improved more in the last couple years than Robideau. In 2023, he finished 3rd in Fargo and 2nd at Super 32. One year later he won both events in convincing fashion and notched victories at Who’s Number One and the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic. Duke as proven to be on another level from the rest of the wrestlers in this field, so a strong performance from Robideau in that potential match would be a massive statement for the Oklahoma State commit.

One Robideau’s two losses at last year’s Open came against Penn round of 12 finisher Cross Wasilewski who is also back in the field. He was 25-5 in his first year for the Quakers and could make a strong push in this bracket.

Prediction: 1) PJ Duke 2) Landon Robideau 3) Cross Wasilewski 4) Jaxon Joy 5) Melvin Miller 6) Laird Root 7) Kollin Rath 8) Collin Gaj

74 kg

7 ranked HS wrestlers: #1 Ladarion Lockett, #2 William Denny, #4 Brogan Tucker, #4 Dominic Bambinelli, #17 Benjamin Weader, #19 Jason Kwaak, #20 Tucker Roybal

High impact college guys: Joel Adams, Oregon State; Cam Catrabone, Michigan; Boeden Greenley, NDSU; Zach Hanson, Stanford; Isaias Jimenez, Penn; Charlie Millard, Minnesota; Paul Ognissanti, Penn; Latrell Schafer; NC State; Joe Sealey, Penn State

Dee Lockett was a U20 World silver medalist last summer after a U17 gold medal performance in 2023. He’s the favorite to make the team again this year in a field that includes 7 ranked high schoolers and a large contingent of seasoned college guys.

In addition to Lockett, placers from last year’s field include Joe Sealey (2nd), Zach Hanson (6th), and Charlie Millard (7th). Two other placers, Bouzakis and Root, have decided to descend to 70 kg for this year’s US Open.

Some of Lockett’s toughest high school competitors include Super 32 champ Will Denny, four-time Ohio state champ Brogan Tucker, and Doc B champ Dominic Bambinelli. The field of college guys obviously includes the three placers from a year ago (Sealey, Hanson, and Millard) but also includes Fargo finalist and Penn Quaker Isaias Jimenez, Fargo champ and NDSU Bison Boeden Greenley, Super 32 finalist and Michigan Wolverine Cam Catrabone, and U17 Greco champ Joel Adams who is now training at Oregon State.

Lockett vs Sealey in the 2024 U20 US Open finals

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Prediction: 1) LaDarion Lockett 2) Will Denny 3) Joe Sealey 4) Brogan Tucker 5) Zach Hanson 6) Joel Adams 7) Dominic Bambinelli 8) Charlie Millard

79 kg

7 ranked HS wrestlers: #2 William Henckel, #8 Eli Leonard, #10 Jordan Chapman, #10 Mario Carini, #12 Peyton Westpfahl, #16 Tyrel Miller, #18 Travis Grace

High impact college guys: Brock Mantanona, Michigan; Omaury Alvarez, North Carolina; Louie Cerchio, Cornell; Collin Guffey, Stanford; Jasiah Queen, Drexel; Jed Wester, Minnesota

This feels like one of the most wide open weights in the U20 division. One of the top college wrestlers in the field, Brock Mantanona, finished his high school career a year ago as a California state champ at 150 lbs while Will Henckel, the top high school prospect in the bracket hasn’t seen 150 lbs since his sophomore year, and he’s the only returning placer at this weight.

While there are plenty of nationally ranked high schoolers at 79 kg, the college guys loom large. Don’t be surprised if the podium in Vegas is filled with guys on the older end of age spectrum. Most of the NCAA wrestlers on the registration list will be competing for starting jobs in the fall. Drexel’s Jasiah Queen seems to have secured his starting spot by qualifying for NCAAs a year ago.

Prediction: 1) Will Henckel 2) Brock Mantanona 3) Collin Guffey 4) Louie Cerchio 5) Jasiah Queen 6) Jed Wester 7) Jordan Chapman 8) Peyton Westpfahl

86 kg

5 ranked HS wrestlers: #2 Adam Waters, #3 Carson Thomas, #4 Lane Foard, #6 Jimmy Mastny, #19 Jonathan Rocha

High impact college guys: Max McEnelly, Minnesota; Aeoden Sinclair, Missouri; Jake Dailey, North Carolina; Nicholas Fox, UNI; Cole Han-Lindemyer, Stanford; Damarion Ross, Northern Illinois; Jared Schoppe, Lehigh; Luke Vanadia, Michigan State

The two heaviest hitters at this weight are Minnesota All-American Max McEnelly and Missouri redshirt Aeoden Sinclair. They finished third and first respectively at this weight a year ago, and both have made U17 World teams (McEnelly earned a bronze medal in 2022). A potential McEnelly vs Sinclair showdown would be a good indicator for who’s in position to make the U20 World team later this spring, but it would also shine light into what NCAA fans can expect at 184 lbs during the 2025-26 college season.

Aeoden Sinclair’s 2024 U20 US Open finals victory over NCAA finalist Josh Barr

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While a lot of eyes will be on the current college guys, Ohio State commit and rising high school senior Adam Waters put together an incredible junior season. He helped lead Faith Christian to the top team ranking this year by notching titles at Ironman, Beast of the East, Escape the Rock, and PIAAs. His star has been on the rise all year, but a title, or even a close match with the likes of Sinclair or McEnelly would go a long way in establishing Waters as an NCAA title threat down the line.

Prediction: 1) Max McEnelly 2) Aeoden Sinclair 3) Adam Waters 4) Cole Han-Lindmeyer 5) Luke Vanadia 6) Carson Thomas 7) Lane Foard 8) Jimmy Mastny

92 kg

2 ranked HS wrestlers: #3 Angelo Posada, #19 Jason Singer

High impact college guys: Connor Mirasola, Penn State; Sonny Sasso, Virginia Tech;  Cody Merrill, Oklahoma State; Dillon Bechtold, Bucknell; Tucker Hogan, Lock Haven; Nick Nosler, SIUE; Max Shulaw, Virginia

Last year’s U20 World 5th place finisher Connor Mirasola is in the running to make his second straight team. He’s coming off an 8-1 true freshman season at Penn State in which his only loss came against teammate and NCAA finalist Josh Barr. Mirasola is the only returning placer from last year’s Open, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be tested. 

Like Mirasola, Oklahoma State’s Cody Merrill also had a solid redshirt campaign. He was 10-2  in his true freshman season with two-point losses to NCAA champion Stephen Buchanan and U20 World medalist Justin Rademacher. Mirasola and Merrill could be on a collision course in Vegas. While they haven’t faced one another in relevant competition, 

Potential high place finishers this year include Virginia Tech’s Sonny Sasso, Bucknell’s Dillon Bechtold, Lock Haven’s Nick Nosler, Virginia’s Max Shulaw, and Stanford commit Angelo Posada. Both Hogan and Bechtold from that group have already qualified for NCAAs and have proven that they’re among the nation’s elite.

Prediction: 1) Cody Merrill 2) Connor Mirasola 3) Sonny Sasso 4) Dillon Bechtold 5) Tucker Hogan 6) Angelo Posada 7) Nick Nosler 8) Max Shulaw

97 kg

2 ranked HS wrestlers: #4 Cade Ziola, #7 Austin Johnson

High impact college guys: Justin Rademacher, Oregon State; Camden McDanel, Nebraska; Soren Herzog, Air Force; Quin Morgan, SDSU

Last year’s champion, Nebraska true freshman All-American Camden McDanel, is back in the mix, but he was knocked off at the U20 World Team Trials by eventual medalist Justin Rademacher. Those two are the heavy favorites to make the finals. Rademacher won their best of three finals series in Geneva in two straight matches with very different margins. The first bout was a 4-3 contest in which Rademacher scored three straight after surrendering a three-point lead, but their second was an 11-1 tech.

McDanel is the only returning 97kg placer from 2024 which makes room for some fresh faces to make an impact at this weight. Both Cade Ziola and Austin Johnson are finishing stellar high school careers and could find themselves high up on the podium with college guys like Air Force’s Soren Herzog (a U20 Greco champ last year) and SDSU’s Quin Morgan.

Prediction: 1) Justin Rademacher 2) Camden McDanel 3) Cade Ziola 4) Soren Herzog 5) Austin Johnson 6) Quin Morgan 7) Garrett Kawczynski 8) Aiden Cooley

125 kg

6 ranked HS wrestlers: #1 Coby Merrill, #2 Dreshaun Ross, #4 Rocco Dellagatta, #5 Rylan Kuhn, #7 Michael Mocco, #9 Melvin Whitehead

High impact college guys: Cole Mirasola, Penn State; Koy Hopke, Minnesota; Parker Ferrell, Virginia Tech; Jay Henderson, Cornell; Shilo Jones, NDSU; Richard Thomas, Oklahoma; Oscar Williams, Maryland

Heavyweight is one of the most exciting weights of the entire U20 US Open. It has high impact true freshmen like Penn State’s Cole Mirasola and Minnesota’s Koy Hopke along with massive recruits like uncommitted Coby Merrill, future Oklahoma State Cowboy Dreshaun Ross, and future Iowa Hawkeye Michael Mocco. This bracket really could set the state for the next wave of NCAA heavyweights who will be populating the All-American podium for the next four to five years.

Minnesota’s Koy Hopke is the highest (and only) returning 125 kg place winner from a year ago. He and Cole Mirasola, the 97 kg runner up in 2024 are the two on-paper favorites to reach the finals. Both Dreshaun Ross and Michael Mocco were busy making U17 World teams at last year’s open. Mocco would go on to win a 110 kg World title while Ross had to miss the Worlds due to injury.

Another contender at this weight is top-ranked high school heavyweight Coby Merrill. He beat last year’s runner up, Nicholas Sahakian during the high school season to secure the #1 spot in the country, and he’s a force at 125 kg. Between Merrill and formidable guys like  Dellagatta, Kuhn, Whitehead, Ferrell, Henderson, Jones, Thomas, Williams, and more, this bracket is extremely hard to predict.

Prediction: 1) Cole Mirasola 2) Koy Hopke 3) Coby Merrill 3) Dreshaun Ross 4) Michael Mocco 5) Rocco Dellagatta 6) Rylan Kuhn 7) Parker Ferrell 8) Shilo Jones

Penn State All-America wrestler Braeden Davis has been charged with three misdemeanor and two summary offenses after a March 29 early-morning incident at Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house in State College.

Davis, 20, is facing charges of resisting arrest, evading arrest or detention on foot, criminal trespass, consumption of liquor or malt or brewed beverages, and public drunkenness, according to State College Police and first reported by onwardstate.com.

Police said Davis and an unnamed friend twice had been asked by the fraternity to leave the premises and were arguing with a security employee when police arrived. Police said they could smell alcohol on Davis’s breath.

The report noted that Davis asked police if he could leave, and when an officer said he could not until proper identification was completed, Davis moved his friend in front of the officer and the officer saw that as an attempt to flee.

The complaint said when Davis attempted to leave, he was caught within 10 yards and a struggle ensued. While being subdued, Davis broke an officer’s wristwatch and radio earpiece and ripped the body camera out of the officer’s vest.

Davis was taken to the police station and later transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center for an alcohol overdose, the complaint read. Police said Davis’s blood alcohol content was .225%.

The Belleville, Michigan, resident just completed his sophomore season at 133 pounds on Penn State’s national championship wrestling team. He finished fifth at that weight class in Philadelphia on March 22. He wrestled at 125 pounds as a true freshman and won a Big Ten title but did not earn All-America status.

“We are aware of the charges against Braeden Davis,” a Penn State Athletics spokesperson said. “These alleged actions do not reflect the values and standards of our program and will be addressed. We will not comment any further as this is an ongoing legal matter.”

For most Virginia student-athletes, balancing academics and varsity sports is enough to fill a calendar. But for Shelby Bavin, a junior coxswain on the women’s rowing team, life includes one more high-stakes commitment — firefighting. 

Her nights end in turnout gear, racing to respond to emergencies as a volunteer firefighter, while her mornings begin on the Rivanna Reservoir directing Virginia’s crews through intense practices. But whether she is calling the final sprint of a 2K or suiting up for a structure fire, Bavin’s drive — and trust in the people beside her — makes her a vital teammate, in every sense of the word. 

Having grown up next to the Potomac River in Alexandria, Va., Bavin was surrounded by a large rowing culture — after seeing her older brother start rowing when he entered high school, she decided to give it a try in eighth grade, when her local team allowed it. For the next four years, Bavin dedicated her life to being the best she could be as a men’s team coxswain for both Alexandria City Titan Rowing and Old Dominion Boat Club. During that time, she earned two state championship medals and competed at SRAA national championships. 

After coming to the University, Bavin knew that she wanted to make an impact on another community in addition to the rowing team, and joined the Seminole Trail Volunteer Fire Department at Albemarle County Station 8 back in November 2023, after hearing about it from a good friend who was actively firefighting at the time. Since then, she has logged nearly 1,400 hours of service as both a firefighter and an Emergency Medical Technician.

On average, active University student volunteers at Station 8 clock around 100 hours per month, and Bavin is no exception. That, combined with an academic course load, is an impressively packed schedule. Between her weekly 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. overnight shifts on Wednesdays, 6:25 a.m. morning practices and a full academic course load, Bavin’s calendar is often full from dawn till midnight. 

While many students seek to decompress in breaks between commitments, Bavin finds balance by leaning into hers. 

“Going to the fire station is a way for me to decompress from school,” Bavin said. “And rowing is a way for me to decompress from school. And then, getting to the station, I can take my mind off rowing, and being at the boat house I can take my mind off bad calls I might have sat on. I think in a way, the three things balance each other, because they’re all so different.” 

Bavin does not see her ultra-packed schedule as a sacrifice — rather, it gives her purpose. For Bavin, this is a mindset which connects to her time with Virginia rowing. The Cavaliers are focused on success, of course, but it is always a success which is earned through grit, toughness and a love of community. 

“The quote we have above our boathouse door, which is ‘Entitled to nothing, grateful for everything,’ is the thing that speaks to the values of our team the most.” Bavin said. 

In both firefighting and rowing, trust is required — sometimes even blind faith. Whether it is entering a burning building with someone new or lining up with an unfamiliar crew on race day, Bavin says both rowing and firefighting demand confidence in others’ training, instincts and commitment.

As a coxswain, Bavin is the eyes and ears for her boat. As the rowers all face backwards, Bavin needs to be on high alert for obstacles in her path and do her best to communicate to her rowers what is happening around them in terms of where they sit in comparison to competitors and how many meters remain. Her volunteer experience as an EMT and firefighter require that same type of focus — Bavin must be ready to delegate tasks when running head on into an emergency, whether that involves rushing to fight a fire or helping a patient going through cardiac arrest. 

“You may not have always worked with the people you get put on a [firefighting] crew with but you’re trusting the training they have received and that they can do the job,” Bavin said. “Rowing is like that too — sometimes lineups change, and you have to adapt and trust that everyone is rowing the same stroke even though you may not have rowed with them before. The coxswain facilitates that faith.”

Trust and culture go hand-in-hand at Station 8, where the team-oriented environment mirrors what Bavin values on the water. Charlie Murphy, a second-year College student who started volunteering at Station 8 last spring, said that this dynamic is central to what makes firefighting — and Bavin — so impactful. 

“[Bavin] has absolutely stepped in and embraced the family-like culture of the station,” Murphy said. “Which is extremely impressive given that she’s balancing this whole other life that a lot of us don’t have.”

Bavin strives to be the best she can be, both for herself and those relying on her, in every situation she puts herself in. She makes sure to give it her all so that, in time, the people around her will trust her — and in return, the effort she puts in allows her to trust her support systems.

Bavin’s story is not defined by any one role she plays, but by the extraordinary way she plays all of them — with intention, resilience and a deep commitment to supporting those around her.

Jimmer Fredette is hanging up his sneakers.

After a winding basketball career that featured National Player of the Year honors at BYU and ended in the Olympics, Fredette is retiring from basketball. Fredette announced his decision on Instagram Wednesday. He’s 36 years old.

“Ever since I was young, I was obsessed with basketball,” Fredette wrote. “Seeing the basketball go in was magical. I wanted to play it every day. …

“Basketball has taken me all around the world: from Glen Falls, NY, to BYU, the NBA, China, Greece and even Team USA at the Olympics! This game and my love for it has shaped me into the person I am today and for that I am grateful. …

“It wasn’t always easy, but it was always worth it! The next journey starts now.”

Jimmermania takes over NCAA

Fredette burst onto the national basketball scene during a four-year NCAA career at BYU from 2007-11. A 6-foot-2 guard, Fredette joined the Cougars as a three-star recruit and played 35 games off the bench as a freshman. He secured a starting role as a sophomore, then led the Mountain West in scoring as a junior and senior.

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An electric scorer, Fredette was the consensus National Player of the Year as a senior while averaging 28.9 points, 4.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals and shooting 39.6% on 8.5 3-point attempts per game. He broke Danny Ainge’s all-time BYU scoring record.

The Cougars made the NCAA tournament in each of Fredette’s four seasons. They earned a No. 3 seed in 2011 and advanced to the Sweet 16. Fredette was a national sensation.

Winding pro career from NBA to overseas

Fredette rode that momentum into the NBA draft lottery. The Sacramento Kings swung a draft-night trade to acquire Fredette from the Milwaukee Bucks, who selected him with No. 10 pick in the 2011 draft, one pick after the Charlotte Hornets selected another undersized scoring guard in UConn All-American Kemba Walker.

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While Walker developed into a four-time All-Star, Fredette struggled to find his footing in the NBA. Fredette shot 38.6% from the field while averaging 7.6 points as a rookie in Sacramento. That turned out to be his NBA career high.

Fredette went on to play the next five NBA seasons with the Kings, Bulls, Pelicans and Knicks. But he spent most of his career deep on NBA benches while playing anywhere from 2.5 to 14 minutes per game after his rookie season.

In 2016, Fredette turned the page on the NBA and joined the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, where he immediately rediscovered his footing. Fredette was named the CBA’s 2016-17 International MVP after averaging 37.6 points in 41 games. He put up single-game point totals of 51 and 73 points during his MVP season.

After two seasons in the CBA, Fredette made a brief return to the NBA in 2018-19 that lasted six games with the Phoenix Suns. From there, his career took him to Greece and back to Shanghai in 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic ended Fredette’s CBA career by 2021, and he returned home to the U.S.

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Fredette’s reinvention as 3×3 player

In 2022, USA Basketball recruited Fredette to play for its 3×3 team ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. USA Basketball missed the cut for the sport’s 2021 Olympic debut in Tokyo, an embarrassing development for the world’s long-established basketball power.

Fredette was eager to play in the format that could highlight his scoring prowess and helped lead USA to a silver medal at the 2023 World Cup ahead of Paris. By the time the Olympics rolled around in 2024, Fredette was the No. 1 ranked player in the World in FIBA 3×3. He made his Olympics debut in Paris at 35 years old.

Unfortunately for Fredette, he suffered torn adductor ligaments in USA’s second game of pool play and wasn’t able to complete his Olympic experience. But he made the journey and played as an Olympian. And now he’s moving on to the next phase of his life.