Newly Crowned Kings Get Wild Welcome
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – College hoops stars Jimmer Fredette, Tyler Honeycutt and Isaiah Thomas got a raucous welcome from fans on their first visit to Sacramento as new Kings.
Cheers and screams erupted as the new arrivals appeared at the top of the escalator at the Sacramento International Airport on Friday afternoon, and the applause only intensified as they drew closer to ground level.
BYU phenom Jimmer Fredette tweeted upon landing that he was "really excited to be a king" [sic], but he may not have been completely prepared to see how firmly "Jimmer-mania" had already taken root among fans -- signs and blown-up pictures of his face were already well distributed among the crowd.
Team officials said they hope the three new prospects will boost the Kings' guard positions and defensive capabilities.
Fredette topped 30 points in 16 of his 37 games at BYU last season, including three 40-point games and a career-high 52 in one game against New Mexico. He also averaged 4.3 assists per game and made 124 3-pointers in helping BYU reach the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament before falling to Florida.
