CJ Fredrick Believed to Have Suffered Dislocated Finger in Loss to Missouri
Injuries have unfortunately told the story of CJ Fredrick's career as a Kentucky Wildcat.
After transferring back near home from Iowa, the sharpshooter suffered a left hamstring injury during layup lines before UK's season-opening game against Duke at Madison Square Garden.
He would miss the entire season, beginning the quest to make it back on the court. He would successfully rehab and was 100 percent moving into the 2022-23 regular season.
Things haven't gone the Cincinnati native's way this season, as he entered Wednesday night's tilt at Missouri having made multiple shots in just two of his last seven games. After going scoreless against Yale and UCLA, Fredrick got back on track in the win over Florida A&M last week, totaling 12 points on 4-7 shooting.
Following that game, coach John Calipari put it simply: "We need CJ to win."
Expectations grew high for the Covington Catholic product, and they remain far from being met. He hardly had a chance inside Mizzou Arena, however, as another injury struck in the first half.
After playing less than four minutes, Fredrick would catch a pass that appeared to jam one or more of his fingers on his right hand. He would pass the ball away to the corner but then quickly looked down to see what had happened. During the ensuing timeout, he would be taken back to the locker room. The SEC Network broadcast showed Fredrick grimacing in what looked to be immense pain in the moment.
He would return to the bench before the end of the half with his right pinky and ring finger taped together heavily. The broadcast claimed that he was cleared to return, but that would not be the case, as he did not return to the game. He was officially ruled out in the second half and was later seen with a splint over his right ring and middle finger.
After the Cats fell miserably in an 89-75 beatdown, Calipari had no immediate update:
“I did not see him but the trainer told me at halftime he’s out for the game. I think the kid told me he did something to it."
He was then informed that the injury appears to be a dislocated finger, but there was no timetable given for the shooting guard. Fredrick is averaging 7.3 points-per-game and is shooting 38 percent from 3-point range.
More on Kentucky's loss to Mizzou here.
More on John Calipari's postgame comments here.
Game notes from the loss can be found here.
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