NBA

Kings’ Jimmer proud of New York roots

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jimmer Fredette is quite the aficionado of New York high school basketball, growing up five blocks from the Glens Falls Civic Center — site of the state tournament.

As a youngster, the upstate point guard spent entire days watching the best of New York scholastic hoops.

“I think [Lincoln’s Sebastian] Telfair was the most exciting for us to watch,’’ said Fredette, the Kings’ rookie lottery pick. “He was unbelievable in high school, how fast he was, so quick. He made guys fall on a regular basis. He was amazing in high school.’’

Fredette is a big New York sports fan and badly wanted to be drafted by the Knicks, whom he rooted for as a kid. The Knicks loved Fredette before anyone knew much of him, and he worked out for them as a junior before he decided to go back to BYU.

When he became a phenomenon as a senior, the Knicks didn’t have enough to trade up from No. 17, where they took point guard Iman Shumpert.

“It was a great time to work out for them [twice],’’ said Fredette, who scored seven points in last night’s 114-92 Knicks victory. “And it plays into my style of basketball — [coach Mike] D’Antoni’s style.

“It’s definitely exciting for me, being a New York boy, watching the Knicks with the great teams they had with Allan Houston, John Starks, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson,’’ Fredette said. “It was always fun to watch. They had those great series with the Heat and that could come back to play this year. It’s a dream come true to play against them.’’

Fredette is a huge Giants fan, and every year would watch them train at University of Albany, which is 45 minutes from Glens Falls. He said he is recording tonight’s Cowboys-Giants division title battle as the Kings face the Hornets.

“I’m really excited for it,’’ Fredette said. “We got a game, so I won’t see it live. Hopefully I won’t hear the score before I go home.’’