Look for Syracuse basketball to ramp up recruitment of these 5-star targets
By Neil Adler
Donnie Freeman
Five-star power forward Donnie Freeman has the distinction of being the first 2024 player to land a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball coaches.
That offer came this past August at the Orange’s annual Elite Camp. At this event, the ‘Cuse pledged offers to a handful of 2023 prospects, as well as one player in 2024, and that was Freeman.
Several recent reports have spoken to the Orange coaching staff making him a priority target for the ‘Cuse in the 2024 class. As such, once June 15 is upon us, I’m sure that Syracuse basketball will be in consistent communication with the 6-foot-9 Freeman.
He is a highly rated guy in 2024. When I penned this column, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had Freeman ranked as a five-star prospect.
Most of the primary recruiting services situate him within the top-25 nationally in the 2024 cycle.
To date, Freeman’s other offers include from Alabama, Maryland, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Xavier, George Mason and Old Dominion. Louisville is also reportedly showing interest in him.
In 2021-22, as a sophomore for St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., Freeman averaged 13 points and seven rebounds a game, according to MaxPreps.
For his 2021-22 season, he was named to the All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (“WCAC”) second team, and MaxPreps gave Freeman an honorable-mention nod within its All-America squads for the 2024 class.
On the AAU tour, Freeman runs with the Washington-based Team Takeover in Nike’s EYBL league. Syracuse basketball has solid ties to Team Takeover, a program whose alumni base includes current Orange forward Benny Williams, a rising sophomore, and 2022 signee Justin Taylor, a four-star shooting guard/small forward.
At the recently held Mayhem in Maryland, an AAU event in Baltimore, Freeman earned some nice praise from various analysts and scouts, one of whom said that Freeman has longer-term pro potential.
In at least two interviews with recruiting analysts of late, Freeman has said that when he’s able to make campus trips, he plans to take an official visit to Syracuse basketball.