Saturday should be a day to remember at the Marriott Center.
At halftime of BYU’s matchup with Colorado, the Cougars will honor one of their most popular and beloved athletes in history by retiring Jimmer Fredette’s No. 32 jersey.
Fredette was named the consensus national player of the year in 2011, averaging a BYU-record 28.9 points per game and leading the school to its first Sweet 16 in three decades.
Now, 15 years later, Fredette’s iconic Cougars career will be immortalized forever by receiving the highest possible honor for an athlete at BYU.
Only nine BYU football players have had their jerseys retired, with Fredette becoming the fifth men’s basketball alum to do so as well.
Here’s a look at the four program legends Fredette will join in the Marriott Center rafters on Saturday.
Danny Ainge
Years at BYU: 1977-81
Number retired in 2003
Before “Jimmermania,” there was the Age of Ainge.
In 118 games across four seasons at BYU, Ainge averaged 20.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists on 52.6% shooting.
A three-time All-WAC selection, Ainge earned national player of the year honors as a senior in 1981 after averaging 24.4 points per game to lead BYU to the Elite Eight — still the best NCAA Tournament finish for the Cougars in program history.
Ainge went on to play 14 years in the NBA, winning a pair of championships with the Boston Celtics and scoring nearly 12,000 career points.
Since retiring as a player, Ainge has established himself as a successful front office executive, spending nearly two decades as Boston’s general manager and assembling a championship-winning squad in 2008. He currently serves as the Utah Jazz organization’s CEO of basketball.
Kresimir Cosic
Years at BYU: 1970-73
Number retired in 2006
There’s only one former BYU player in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Kresimir Cosic.
One of the first European imports to play college basketball, the Yugoslavia native turned down John Wooden’s powerhouse UCLA program in favor of the Cougars, ultimately becoming one of the most talented and important players in program history.
A 6-foot-11 big man, Cosic averaged 19.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game over three seasons at BYU. His scoring numbers surely would be higher had he played with the 3-point line, and his assist totals would be impressive — especially for a center — had assists been recorded as an official statistic.
Cosic earned All-WAC honors each year he was in Provo, with his immense popularity factoring into BYU’s construction of the spacious Marriott Center.
Despite being selected in the NBA draft, Cosic instead elected to return to Yugoslavia and help grow The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in his homeland, having converted to the faith during his time at BYU.
Cosic did play professionally in Europe and appeared in more than 300 games for the Yugoslavian national team, winning four Olympic medals, including gold in 1980.
Cosic died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 1995 at the age of 46.
Mel Hutchins
Years at BYU: 1947-48, 1949-51
Number retired in 2013
No BYU player has made more NBA All-Star teams than Mel Hutchins.
Before becoming one of the NBA’s early stars, Hutchins was a force in the post at BYU, headlining the Cougars’ 1951 NIT championship team.
Hutchins averaged 15.4 points per game as a senior, with his 471 rebounds still standing as BYU’s single-season record.
Drafted No. 2 overall in 1951, Hutchins was the 1952 NBA Rookie of the Year and made four All-Star teams before a knee injury forced him to retire after just seven professional seasons.
In 437 NBA games, Hutchins averaged 11.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Hutchins died in 2018 at the age of 90.
Roland Minson
Years at BYU: 1948-51
Number retired in 2013
As good as Hutchins was, BYU couldn’t have won the 1951 NIT championship without the heroics of Roland Minson.
Minson averaged 26 points per game during that NIT run to earn tournament MVP honors, capping a BYU career where he scored a then-program record of 1,407 points.
A three-time all-Skyline Conference selection, Minson was drafted in the first round by the New York Knicks but was forced to put basketball on hold and enlist in the Korean War. Once he returned home from duty, he turned down professional hoops in favor of a career in banking.
Minson’s BYU career scoring record lasted for 22 years, while his single-season scoring record of 619 points lasted for 27.
Minson died in 2020 at the age of 90.