Syracuse basketball commit Donnie Freeman has shot at 5 stars – analyst

Donnie Freeman, who on Wednesday signed his national letter of intent (“NLI”) to play for Syracuse basketball, could make a run at five-star status in the 2024 class, a top national recruiting analyst/scout told me this week.

The 6-foot-9 Freeman, who hails from Washington, D.C., is deemed by most recruiting services as a top-40 overall player and a top-six power forward in the senior cycle.

A few days ago, recruiting service On3 refreshed its 2024 national rankings, and the four-star Donnie Freeman arrived at No. 20 across the country, No. 3 at power forward and No. 4 in Florida.

I asked On3’s Jamie Shaw, who is regarded as one of the top national recruiting analysts/scouts in the business, if Freeman could attain a fifth star when all is said and done. Shaw responded, “Possibly. He’s had a great summer, and we will have a couple more updates” of the 2024 cycle.

Four-star big man Donnie Freeman recently signed with Syracuse basketball.

Freeman is definitely a fast-rising prospect in the senior class. He had a strong AAU season over the spring and summer months, capped off by him being a big contributor as his program, the Washington-based Team Takeover, captured the 17U Peach Jam championship on Nike’s EYBL circuit in early July.

In his junior year, Freeman received numerous local, regional and national accolades in helping guide St. John’s College High School in D.C. to a 32-4 record, a top-25 national ranking, and the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (“WCAC”) tournament title.

Per SU Athletics, in the 2022-23 season for St. John’s, Donnie Freeman averaged an impressive 21.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Freeman has been a highly touted prospect for several years now. As a power forward, he does a lot of stellar things in the paint on both ends of the floor, and he’s super athletic. Additionally, several analysts and scouts have stated of late that Donnie Freeman is displaying a much-improved jumper from beyond the arc to polish off his all-around game.

Freeman, who verbally committed to the ‘Cuse in May over other finalists Alabama, Iowa, Texas and Georgia Tech, is suiting up as a senior in the 2023-24 stanza at the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., which competes in the loaded 10-member National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

At IMG, he will face elite competition, and some of Freeman’s games are expected to air on national broadcasts. Within the NIBC and at other showcase events, Donnie Freeman will battle against numerous current and former Syracuse basketball recruiting targets.

Multiple high-school hoops experts have told me in recent months that IMG is a significant contender to finish in the top four of the NIBC regular-season standings, and the Ascenders will look to make a return to the annual GEICO Nationals in the spring of 2024.

Given that he’ll play on a big-time stage as a senior, assuming Donnie Freeman shines at IMG, I do believe he will vie for five-star status in the 2024 class, while also heavily competing for invites to prestigious events such as the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic, and the Nike Hoop Summit.

"Check out what Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy had to say about this Syracuse basketball commit in an evaluation. “Freeman is all of 6-foot-8 and capable of impacting a game at both ends of the floor when he’s making a consistent effort on defense, which comes and goes. That said, when Freeman is at his best, he can absolutely take over a contest using his agility and length. He has nice touch around the basket and aggressively attacks the rim in transition. His mid-range game has come a long way in the last year, and he’s a willing shooter that is improving as a shooter from 3-point territory. His size and agility gives him high-level potential if he continues to add weight and develop from a perimeter-skill perspective. He should be ready to impact the college game as a freshman and could become a star in year two or three.”"