Meet
Feed the Fever
Posted by: Lowery Johnson on November 18th, 2010
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.During Monday’s game with OKC I was chatting with some very passionate friends in the UtahJazz.com live chat room. It was then when a most odd feeling overcame me….
It’s called: FESENKO FEVER. And fellow Jazz fans, it’s contagious.
We began discussing his maturity and the changes we’ve seen in him in just the last year. Suddenly my mind was reeling with all the funny things he’s said and the pranks he’s been involved with. It was then that I knew it would be a while before my fever broke.
This morning Fes was still on my mind, I went to YouTube to see if anyone else has been infected by this strange fever, and I found this:
Kyrylo Fesenk0:
Height: 7-1
Weight: 280
Level of Awesome
(based on a scale of 1-10): 10
Not only is Fesenko, in my opinion, one of the funniest players on the Utah Jazz, but I think for a lot of us he was the most impressive in the preseason. And I continue to love his somewhat limited presence on the court as the season progresses.
For those of you who don’t remember, in the nine games of his first season with the Jazz, Fes was shooting 50% from the free throw line, 38% from the field, and averaged 1.6 points per game only playing an average of 7.8 minutes per game.
A couple seasons later and Fes has slowly worked his way into our hearts with his goofy personality (if you’re nodding your head to this statement, you are likely infected with the fever).
Then last year’s playoffs bounced in. With Okur out, he was our big man. Instead of caving under the pressure of the extra minutes, he stepped up and seized the opportunity to prove himself as more than a funny man.
Here’s a short clip that speaks for itself:
His game, like a fine European cheese, has matured.
But unlike a cheese that sits in a dark room to reach its potential, Fesenko put in a lot of work to get where he is.
Over the off season Fesenko not only worked on his free throw shooting, but also dropped 25 lbs coming into preseason training camp. He did really well in preseason scoring 18 points against the Portland Trailblazers.
I had heard the reports of him dropping weight and was impressed, but I was even more impressed when I saw him step onto the court with the seriousness of a professional athlete.
While I don’t think by any means his game has reached its peak, I do think we have a lot to look forward to from the Center in the upcoming years, he has the potential to be a great defensive giant…literally.
I’ve been surprised at his lack of playing time considering his performance during preseason. I would like to see more of Fes coming off the bench. But the season is barely underway and I trust Sloan’s instincts more than mine.
Currently, Fesenko’s stats haven’t greatly improved, but there’s something different in the way he carries himself on the court. I see more confidence and more passion in his game.
In the video above, Kirilenko referred to Fesenko as naive, but I’m curious to see if he’s saying that now.
In fact, I wonder which of the players on the team have been infected with the fever.
Replies: 10
Views: 167409
10 Responses
I have seen a lot of growth in Fes and he still needs to improve but CAN YOU IMAGINE! If he became a stronger presence rebounding, blocking shots and consistent from 5 ft in the paint what would happen! Amazing! It’s very warm in here, or maybe I’m just getting sick or maybe…yep Fes Fever damn I thought I was immune.
I totally agree Booondock Saint. :] I knew I couldn’t be the only one with the fever…
I have always liked Fess but it seems like his first name is “If.” The very best basketball players are very nice off the court. But on the court they have a serious and mean streak about them. “If” Fess could learn that he could be unstoppable..
He is like a cross bread of Okur and Kirilenko. I am anxious to see how much bench time he actually gets further through the season. It seems that he has already proven himself. I think maybe Sloan is just waiting to unleash. Holding him back till he is drooling with antisipation. Thus making his game that much better.
Here’s to Fesenko getting his own reality show.
@Larry I agree he needs a little more aggression on the court, he’s still holding back. With that, you’re right, he’d be unstoppable…
@Benhaminnie I’m hoping that Sloan’s tactic but somethings telling me it has more to do with the way Elson has been performing.
@Jefferson I would watch every episode. That would be such an amazing show. haha someone call MTV.
Great post, Lowery! I think the biggest difference in Fes this year is movement on both ends of the court. He no longer looks lost. He is setting picks, moving around and defending quite impressively. Sometimes those things don’t convert to his stats, but certainly help the team’s overall performance.
Lowery, I love Big Fes. Last year in the playoffs,the complaint was that he hadn’t seen enough time on the court during the regular season. His minutes are up. However, Elson is playing pretty well off the bench. Favorite quote: After the game in Orlando and taking that charge from Dwight Howard. “It was really painful, by the way,” Fesenko said. “My kidney is about to fall off.”
http://1320kfan.com/index.php/audio/listen/jazz_104_magic_94_krylyo_fesenko_post_game
Marshall,
I had no idea you are such a fan. We should try to get some tickets to a game sometime around Christmas. I decided I should be more attentive so I know what Lowery is talking about.