Most Hawk fans will remember CJ Fredrick, who shot 46% from 3 for the Hawks wayyyy back in 2019. At the time, the Hawks were a Top 25 team, with studs like Garza, Wieskamp, Bohannan, plus Nunge, Connor, etc. Back then, CJ started for the Hawks and averaged 10 points per game. The following year, 2020, he remained in the starting lineup and the Murray boys joined the team, and the Hawks were one of the Top 10 teams in the nation.
All of those beloved Hawkeye greats are long gone. Some are playing in the NBA, selling insurance, or in Connor's case, dating the most famous female athlete in the country.
But how many people knew CJ Fredrick is STILL playing college basketball in 2025?
After spurning the Hawks, seemingly out of the blue, for a bag man who got him to transfer to a blue blood in Kentucky, Fredrick was probably Iowa's most controversial transfer in basketball history.
I was happy to see he's playing quite a bit worse than he was as a Hawkeye 6 years ago. He's now a reserve guard at Cincinnati (his 3rd school) and averaging just 1.8 points and .7 rebounds per game. OUCH! Is he hurt? Nope. He's playing about 13 minutes per game for a 14-9 team. Over the past 4 games, he's the 3rd guy off the bench and has made a total of 1 basket. Sharp shooter no more.
Sometimes the grass isn't always greener in other pastures. While normally I'd feel bad for a guy like CJ who had so much promise and led the Hawks to a couple of fantastic seasons...I don't. The way CJ left Iowa was a gut punch to fans, with stories of shady dealings, a shady uncle, and zero loyalty to Fran and his teammates. So there you have it...a guy who shot lights out as the star of an NCAA tournament team 6 years ago has put in 6 years of hard work to become the 8th man on a mid-major NIT team.
All of those beloved Hawkeye greats are long gone. Some are playing in the NBA, selling insurance, or in Connor's case, dating the most famous female athlete in the country.
But how many people knew CJ Fredrick is STILL playing college basketball in 2025?
After spurning the Hawks, seemingly out of the blue, for a bag man who got him to transfer to a blue blood in Kentucky, Fredrick was probably Iowa's most controversial transfer in basketball history.
I was happy to see he's playing quite a bit worse than he was as a Hawkeye 6 years ago. He's now a reserve guard at Cincinnati (his 3rd school) and averaging just 1.8 points and .7 rebounds per game. OUCH! Is he hurt? Nope. He's playing about 13 minutes per game for a 14-9 team. Over the past 4 games, he's the 3rd guy off the bench and has made a total of 1 basket. Sharp shooter no more.
Sometimes the grass isn't always greener in other pastures. While normally I'd feel bad for a guy like CJ who had so much promise and led the Hawks to a couple of fantastic seasons...I don't. The way CJ left Iowa was a gut punch to fans, with stories of shady dealings, a shady uncle, and zero loyalty to Fran and his teammates. So there you have it...a guy who shot lights out as the star of an NCAA tournament team 6 years ago has put in 6 years of hard work to become the 8th man on a mid-major NIT team.
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