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Basketball

Jimmer comes into town for a book signing

A new book about BYU Basketball alumnus Jimmer Fredette is out in stores. It's called 'The Contract.' Jimmer came back to his old stomping grounds, BYU campus, to do a book signing.

A line started forming at the BYU Bookstore almost five hours before Jimmer came in. You could see star-struck kids and lots of students all over the place.

BYU student Halie Lewis said she was so excited to see Jimmer and get to talk to him, she got him to sign a poster for her little brother.

Lewis was just one of hundreds of students.

For those who couldn't make it to campus for the signing, or didn't want to deal with all the enamored students, Jimmer also made an appearance at the Deseret Book by University Mall.

Dedicated fan John Charles is from Park City, and drove all the way to Provo's Deseret Book to be first in line to see Jimmer. Charles is no ordinary fan. In summer of 2009, he worked out at the same gym as the basketball star. Eventually, Charles went up to Jimmer and told him he wanted to contribute to the BYU Basketball team. Charles asked if he could rebound for Jimmer.

For those who aren't basketball savvy, rebounding for a player means that in practice, you retrieve the ball every time the player shoots it, and throw it back. Charles said he rebounded for Jimmer the entire summer of 2009 and religiously went to every game in the fall.

Jimmer said he loves coming back to Provo and seeing all the support that's still there. But there are some fans he really appreciates.

'You know, there's a lot of people that come up that are disabled and they're still really big fans. I appreciate those especially for coming out and supporting me,' Jimmer said.

Those fans helped Jimmer go from the college game to the pros.

'There are some differences,' Jimmer said. 'First, there's just the talent that you face every night. You know you're playing against some of the best players in the world on a nightly basis. Then, the travel schedule is different. You know, you go on road trips sometimes for two weeks at a time, where as college, you just go play one game and come home.'

Jimmer, soft-spoken and more reserved than you see him on the court, also said he's getting used to all the press with more experience. He said he loves being a part of something bigger than himself.