Scott ready for leadership role at Rider
LAWRENCEVILLE >> You can tell from the way Frederick Scott speaks that he’s more confident than he’s ever been before.
That’s why Rider’s redshirt junior forward is ready to be one of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s best players.
“I believe in myself every night that I’m going to do what it takes to win,” Scott said following the team’s practice on Tuesday afternoon. “Whether it’s assists, rebounding, points ... whatever I can do. That’s where my focus is, being there for my team each and every game.”
Head coach Kevin Baggett asked Scott to stay on campus this past summer and challenged him to be more of a leader now that he’s about to begin his third season on the court since transferring from DePaul.
Scott said he used that time to get in better shape both physically and mentally, while also working toward his undergraduate communications degree in Filmmaking, TV and Radio. Scott is a senior academically and can begin taking graduate classes next fall.
“Freddie put the work in, that’s why he can be confident,” Baggett said. “We asked him to put more on his shoulders. From a basketball standpoint, you’re a leader when you’ve put the work in. He has the right to be confident.”
Scott has found a home at Rider. He was a Third Team All-MAAC selection in each of the last two seasons. He averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 25.2 minutes per game.
The Indiana native knows the next step is to be an elite player in the league each time he steps on the floor. If he does that, the rest will come.
“Yeah, I want to be first team (all-league), but those wins, that’s where it starts with me,” Scott said. “If you play the game right, everything is going to come. If I’m out there just playing specifically for first team or Player of the Year, it ain’t going to come my way. If I’m playing to get 25 wins, the first team will be right there.”
At 6-foot-8, 230-pounds, Scott has both the look and physical tools to do that. He can bully his way to the basket and has a solid enough outside shot (career 37.7 percent 3-point shooter) that you have to guard him on the perimeter. He improved his free throw shooting from 44.6 percent to 65.4 percent, and connected at a 70.3 percent rate (83-for-118) over the season’s final 21 games.
“Everybody is working on (free throws) because we know we’re going to need it come close games,” said Scott, adding that he wants to be 80 percent or better. “We’re going to be at the free throw line. I’ve been working on it all offseason. I’m ready.”
Much of Scott’s renewed focus, something he said the entire team has, stems from a disappointing season in which Rider went 16-15 and slumped to a fourth-place finish in the MAAC despite being the unanimous preseason favorite.
“We didn’t succeed the way we thought we would,” Scott said. “We took a lot for granted, but this past summer, and this preseason, we’re working extra hard. We know we want to get back to our winning ways. We know how to get there because we’ve been there before.”
Rider needs a confident Frederick Scott.
“I’m more vocal now. Definitely more confident,” Scott said. “I made my mistakes during practice, but I’m there taking accountability for myself, talking to the younger guys about what it’s about. I’m taking that leadership role.”