Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Donnie Freeman to battle country’s No. 1 team

A week after Thanksgiving, Syracuse basketball 2024 commit Donnie Freeman, a four-star power forward from Washington, D.C., will go toe to toe with a powerhouse group that is ranked No. 1 across the country in a preseason top 25 for high-school hoops.

As a senior, the 6-foot-9 Freeman is playing for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., which competes in the nation’s top league, the 10-member National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

Freeman, who last year was a standout for St. John’s College High School in D.C., joins an IMG group that, in the 2022-23 term, went 18-8 overall, finished in a tie for third place within the NIBC, and advanced to the semifinals of the eight-team 2023 GEICO Nationals.

Ahead of the 2023-24 stanza, some high-school experts are forecasting that IMG is likely to be a top-10 national team, a top-four finisher in the NIBC standings, and a significant contender to return to the GEICO Nationals in the spring of 2024.

Syracuse basketball 2024 commit Donnie Freeman will face the preseason No. 1 unit.

On Thursday, Nov. 30, beginning at 7 pm, IMG is scheduled to play at the Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., as part of the Sunshine Classic, according to Montverde’s Web site.

Montverde, also a NIBC member, has proven the top high-school program across the country in recent years. In 2022-23, the Eagles went 23-3 and won the NIBC regular-season title with an 11-1 record.

In the 2023 GEICO Nationals, Montverde earned the No. 1 seed, although the Eagles were upset in the quarterfinals by the No. 8 seed, the Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan.

Not too long ago, writer Zach Shugan posted his SBLive/Sports Illustrated preseason top 25 in high-school basketball, and he’s got Montverde checking in at No. 1. By the way, Donnie Freeman and IMG are No. 7 in this preseason top 25.

Freeman, who verbally committed to Syracuse basketball in May, and his IMG teammates will go up against a Montverde line-up in late November that includes several former Orange recruits and numerous elite high-school players. It will prove a huge challenge for Donnie Freeman, and should be a lot of fun for Syracuse basketball recruiting enthusiasts to monitor.

Here are a couple of guys to track for Montverde:
•Robert Wright III, a 2024 four-star point guard, is a former ‘Cuse target who is verbally committed to Baylor.
•Curtis Givens III is a 2024 four-star point guard as well. He held a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer and is verbally committed to LSU.
•Derik Queen, a 2024 five-star center, also had an Orange offer. He is down to a final four of Kansas, Maryland, Houston and Indiana.
•Liam McNeeley is a 2024 five-star small forward who is verbally committed to Indiana.
•Asa Newell is a 2024 five-star power forward who recently gave a verbal pledge to Georgia.
•Last but certainly not least, 2024 five-star power forward Cooper Flagg is the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the senior class. On October 30, he verbally committed to Duke.

I’m looking forward to seeing Donnie Freeman match up against some of these Montverde big men, whether it’s Queen, Newell, Flagg or others on the Eagles roster.