Donnie Freeman tours Maryland, talks other schools in the mix
PHILADELPHIA – One of the more celebrated and in-demand underclassmen at the weekend’s Philly Live event, St. John's (D.C) College High forward Donnie Freeman is in no rush to narrow his recruiting focus. In fact, he anticipates more schools becoming involved this year. That said, he’s all for taking fact-finding visits. The latest one of those starts on Monday, when he’ll tour Maryland in an effort to familiarize himself with the program's new coaching staff.
Freeman recently spoke to Rivals.com about his upcoming visit and what could be next.
ON UPCOMING TRIPS
“The only thing I have stapled on my calendar is Maryland. I have an unofficial to Maryland on Monday and that’s the only thing I have scheduled for now.”
ON MARYLAND
“Last time I was there, it was the old staff. This trip is really about getting to know the new staff and seeing what they are going to change about the program. It;’s about getting a good feel for everything.”
ON THE MARYLAND STAFF
“I haven’t really had a lot of conversations with them yet, but we have talked some. From what they say they really like my game and they’re trying to recruit local kids harder. I like that. That's what I like about them.”
ON SCHOOLS RECRUITING HIM HARDEST
“There’s a lot of active schools right now. Marquette is very active. Texas is very active. The University of San Diego is active. Maryland and Georgetown are obviously active.”
ON HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH TEXAS
“Right now the talks with them are mostly about basketball. We talk about basketball and my growth as a player.”
ON HOW MUCH NIL MONEY MATTERS TO HIM
“Obviously it matters a lot, but it’s not the main part. The main part is tack record and plate growth. The most important thing is seeing that a school has gotten players like me to the next level.”
ON OTHER POSSIBLE VISITS
“Georgetown has been trying to get me there and I’m going to get up there soon, I think.”
ON GEORGETOWN
They just had a recent coaching staff change, so I’m getting to know some of the new coaches. I talk to coach [Patrick] Ewing some and talk to Coach [Clinton] Crouch, too. Coach Crouch coached with some of my coaches at Team Takeover (EYBL), so it's a family thing.”
RIVALS REACTION: It will be interesting to see what kind of first impression the new Maryland staff makes on Freeman, who is clearly interested in giving them a chance. Still, it’s hard to read too much into the four-star’s recruitment until he begins to schedule official visits. Georgetown, Maryland, Texas and Marquette all feel like teams to watch.