Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Donnie Freeman great fit at IMG, analysts say

Syracuse basketball 2024 four-star commit Donnie Freeman from Washington, D.C., should prove a strong fit at his new high-school home, the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., according to multiple national recruiting analysts and scouts that I spoke with in recent days.

The 6-foot-9 power forward, who verbally committed to Syracuse basketball in May, is transferring to IMG from St. John’s College High School in D.C. for his senior year in the 2023-24 campaign. IMG competes in the country’s top league, the 10-member National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

In 2023-24, Donnie Freeman is expected to play some games on national broadcasts against other ‘Cuse four-star and five-star recruits who also compete for NIBC member schools.

A term ago, IMG finished at 18-8 overall, and the Ascenders finished in a tie for third place within the NIBC and also advanced to the semifinals of the eight-team 2023 GEICO Nationals.

Experts say that based on IMG adding Freeman and several other highly rated prospects in recent months, the Ascenders are likely to be a preseason top-10 national squad, a preseason top-four team in the NIBC, and a significant contender to return to the GEICO Nationals come next spring. IMG, by the way, won the GEICO Nationals back in 2019.

Syracuse basketball commit Donnie Freeman is heading to IMG, and experts like the fit for him.

Before I dive a little deeper into Freeman’s fit at IMG and who some of his new teammates are, let’s detail a bit about the various Orange recruiting targets who Donnie Freeman is likely to square off against during NIBC play in 2023-24.

One SU recruit is priority target Kiyan Anthony, a 2025 four-star shooting guard who was offered a scholarship by the ‘Cuse last November. The 6-foot-5 Anthony, who has said he will officially visit the Hill at some point, will spend his junior year at NIBC titan Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y.

Anthony transferred there this past February from Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y.

The La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., which struggled in NIBC contests in 2022-23, has stacked its roster this off-season, and its lethal backcourt will include two transfers to the Lakers who hold Syracuse basketball offers.

Jerry Easter II, a 2025 five-star point guard, and Darius Adams, a 2025 four-star combo guard, both moved to La Lumiere in recent months and were each offered by the ‘Cuse in the summer of 2022.

A stanza ago, Easter and Adams both picked up sophomore All-America honors from MaxPreps. Easter previously starred for the Emmanuel Christian School in Toledo, Ohio, while Adams was a standout for Manasquan High School in Manasquan, N.J.