CJ Fredrick Shoots Out of a Slump without Splint in Florida Win

by:Nick Roush•02/05/23•

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Finally free of a splint on his right hand, CJ Fredrick shook off the rust and found the bottom of the net in the Wildcats’ 72-67 win over Florida.

The Kentucky shooting guard didn’t look like himself in the month of January. A career 42.3% three-point shooter, over the last five games he was knocking down less than 20% of his three-point attempts, including back-to-back games without a made three-pointer.

The solution to his problem: ditch the splint. Fredrick missed a few games after dislocating his finger at Missouri. He returned to the court with a splint on the ring finger of his right hand. He’s not blaming all of his shooting woes on the splint, but it certainly felt better to get his shooting hand back to normal against the Gators.

“It felt really good. I wasn’t a fan of shooting it with that one, but I understood the kind of injury I had, I was at risk of doing the same thing if I didn’t have it on for like a month,” Fredrick said after the game. “Finally the doctors gave me the okay to take it off and it felt good.”

CJ Fredrick knocked down 3-of-6 from downtown, finishing the night with 12 points in 35 minutes of action in the win over Florida.

CJ Fredrick Never Lost Confidence in his Shot

Despite his midseason shooting struggles, CJ Fredrick never let it mentally affect his play.

“I don’t know if there is a shooter who hasn’t went through some struggles,” said Fredrick. “My job is to come in and shoot balls. You’re not going to make every shot, but I have to have the mindset of shooting the ball when I’m open. When you’re in a slump like that, [you have] to continue putting in the work, coming in early, getting shots up and continuing to do what I do.”

It couldn’t have come at a better time for Kentucky. Antonio Reeves cooled, scoring just four points Saturday night at Rupp Arena. As Reeves stepped up during Fredrick’s slump, Fredrick responded against Florida. That persistent mentality has become infectious in the Kentucky locker room.

“I feel like I didn’t really lose my confidence,” the shooting guard said. “Shots just weren’t falling for me. I’ve played in a lot of game and I’ve missed plenty of shots. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve matured and understood that I gotta do other things if I’m not making shots, just continue to win each day. Getting my shots up, getting reps, believing in myself, believing in the team knowing that eventually we’ll push through and break through.”