GLENS FALLS -- Circle this date on your calendar — Dec. 8.
That’s when Jimmer Fredette’s homecoming is scheduled to take place at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The contract hasn’t been signed, but BYU associate head coach Dave Rice said on Monday that his school and the University of Vermont have settled on that date.
Also Monday, BYU announced that Fredette has formally declared for the 2010 NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent. Fredette had said previously he would do just that.
By not hiring an agent, Fredette will maintain his eligibility to come back and play his senior season at BYU. Declaring for the draft allows him to attend pre-draft camps and participate in workouts at the NBA level. He must decide by May 8 whether he will pursue the NBA or return to college.
Fredette has said previously that it’s likely he will return to BYU. His father, Al, said two weeks ago he was “99 percent” certain Jimmer would stay in the college ranks.
People are also reading…
BYU will not play in Glens Falls next season unless Fredette is on the roster, Rice said.
Jason Blumenfeld, general manager of the Civic Center, said it could be at least a month or two before tickets go on sale. They could be made available as early as June, or as late as early fall. He could not say what tickets might cost, but there probably would be variable pricing based on seat location.
Tickets will be sold through the Civic Center box office and Ticketmaster, just like any other Civic Center event, Blumenfeld said.
It’s likely to be a hot ticket. Aside from the obvious local interest, BYU alumni in the Northeast will almost certainly try to make the game.
“My phone has been ringing off the hook,” Glens Falls Councilman-At-Large Dan Hall said.
Blumenfeld said the Civic Center should be able to host the game without making any major adjustments. The setup should mirror what the building offers for high school basketball games.
“Global Spectrum (which runs the Civic Center) has done numerous college basketball games,” Blumenfeld said. “It’s nothing we haven’t done before.”
Rice said BYU would probably fly into Albany the day before its game at the Civic Center, then fly out the day after. The city is planning to set up a committee to organize events around the game.
Rice said that the city of Glens Falls owns the television rights to the game, and that BYU would be “very open” to the game being on television.
