Freeman a wanted man
6-foot-5 junior 2G Austin Freeman is the latest in a long line of superb basketball prospects to come from storied DeMatha Catholic high school in the suburbs of Washington, DC. And like those who've come before him, Freeman is getting a ton of high major interest. Rivals.com caught up with him for an update on his recruiting.
The legendary coach Morgan Wooten spent decades building DeMatha Catholic high school into a national power. The school's NBA alumni include Adrian Dantley, Danny Ferry, Sidney Lowe, Jerod Mustaf, Keith Bogans, Joe Forte, Kenny Carr, and Bernard Williams. Now that Wooten has retired from coaching, current head man Mike Jones is quickly returning the Stags to national prominence, and Austin Freeman is helping to lead the charge.
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After averaging 14 points and 6 rebounds last season, Freeman returns as the first option offensively, and one of the team leaders on a squad infused with new blood. Coming off a 29-2 record that included a WCAC Title and a City Championship, expectations will be high. He seems poised to accept the challenge.
"It's going to be a tough year with the guys we lost," Freeman said, referring to the graduation of Mamadi Diane and departure of Jeff Allen to Oak Hill. "I think we've still got a lot of talent and should be able to pull it out at the end."
Talent indeed, and it all starts with Freeman. The 6-5 guard came into his own this past spring playing with the DC Assault AAU squad where he helped lead them on several deep tournament runs. Freeman is a scoring machine, with deep range from the perimeter and the size and physical ability to get it done in the paint.
Schools have certainly noticed Freeman, and he has more than a handful of high major offers to show for it.
"Maryland, Georgetown, Miami, Ohio State, Syracuse, Connecticut, Villanova, Illinois, Notre Dame, Virginia, and Virginia Tech have all offered," Freeman said.
He has already visited Maryland and Georgetown, and those two schools along with Ohio State, Miami, Syracuse, and NC State are his current favorites.
He will visit NC State on October 29th, then head out to Notre Dame on November 5th, where he'll take in the Notre Dame vs. Tennessee football game.
Given the number of early commitments coming in recently, it would be understandable if it had an effect on Freeman's outlook, but he insists that it hasn't.