The Breakdown: CJ Fredrick
The compliment was a bit coarse, but direct.
It wasn't long after Iowa guard CJ Fredrick scored 18 points in a home win over Illinois that Illini coach Brad Underwood said of Fredrick, "It's going to be a pain in the ass to see him for the next four years."
Fredrick, a redshirt freshman guard, was that for teams all season.
He was just what Iowa coach Fran McCaffery had advertised during the offseason — a hard-nosed defensive player who wasn't afraid to take a big shot.
Fredrick, who sat out last season to learn the college game and get better, was an impact player for the Hawkeyes all season.
Fredrick averaged 10.2 points per game. His three-point percentage of .461 was the best single-season performance for an Iowa freshman, and his 47 three-pointers ranked fourth all-time among Iowa freshmen.
He scored in double figures in 13 games, including a career-high 21 points in a win over Michigan.
Fredrick was in Iowa's starting lineup for the season opener, and ended up starting every game he played.
The only bad part of Fredrick's first season was his battle with injuries. He missed six games — the ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at Syracuse (quadricep), two games in January (stress reaction in foot) and three games in February (ankle).
But Fredrick returned at the end of the season to average 33 minutes in Iowa's final three games, and seemed to be getting back into a rhythm before the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments were canceled because the coronavirus pandemic.
Fredrick never lost his confidence. His toughness was missed in the six games he didn't play.
He'll be back next season, part of the entire starting lineup from a 20-win team that is expected to return.
Three more seasons to fulfill Underwood's prediction.
