At a recent prestigious holiday tournament in Florida, a Syracuse basketball four-star recruiting target in the 2024 class caught the attention of one of the best national analysts in the business.
In one game against Orlando Christian Prep out of Orlando, Fla., 6-foot-9 power forward Donnie Freeman stuffed the stat sheet, compiling 10 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks, according to a tweet from The HS Circuit.
Freeman is a sophomore at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. In his recent outing, he was suiting up at the 2021 City of Palms Classic, which was held earlier this month at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.
Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports and one of the most respected analysts in high-school hoops, was in attendance and had some really positive things to say about Freeman.
Syracuse basketball four-star target Donnie Freeman is an athletic, physical player.
Bossi and other analysts have said that Freeman is long with good size for his position, although like many high-school prospects, he’s a little lean.
But in the City of Palms Classic, Freeman showed that he runs the floor well, and he played with confidence. Bossi noted that Freeman’s “athletic gifts” were impressive.
"More from the 247Sports analyst on Freeman: “He has a shot that looks like it will be respectable to the three-point line, he has a quick first step and he’s got some real chops as a passer. He looks every bit the part of a four-star prospect …”"
This past August, Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Freeman at the team’s annual Elite Camp. As far as I can tell, it was the first offer by the ‘Cuse to a 2024 prospect.
According to Bossi and recruiting services, Freeman’s other offers include from Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Xavier, George Mason and Old Dominion.
While 247Sports has yet to unveil its first set of national rankings for the 2024 cycle, Freeman is a top-25 prospect according to other recruiting services.
As we’ve noted in prior columns on him, Freeman is No. 20 overall via ESPN, while Rivals.com has him placed at No. 23 across the country.
Since he’s only a sophomore, his recruitment likely has a long way to go. However, I’m hopeful that Syracuse basketball will emerge as a significant contender for Freeman.