Syracuse Basketball: 5-star commit Donnie Freeman an All-American again, showcase MVP

Five-star Donnie Freeman, the Syracuse basketball 2024 signee out of Washington, D.C., has been simply fabulous in his senior year playing for a powerhouse academy in Florida.

The 6-foot-9 Freeman, who is officially signed with the Orange along with New York City four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore in the team’s 2024 class, has proven one of the top players around the country in the 2023-24 season to date.

Freeman, who is rated as high as No. 10 nationally by On3, as well as the No. 1 power forward in the country, has played a key role as the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., looks to land an invite to the upcoming eight-team Chipotle Nationals and compete for a high school national championship.

Freeman, who at the time of this writing was ranked five stars by several recruiting services, including the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, recently was selected to another All-America game in 2023-24, his third to date.

Syracuse basketball five-star commit Donnie Freeman is an elite 2024 prospect.

IMG is a member of the 14-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (“EYBL Scholastic”), which is arguably the country’s premier high school hoops conference.

The Ascenders are in the running for a bid to this spring’s Chipotle Nationals, several analysts have told me of late. This past weekend, at the Pete Hollis Invitational in Greenville, S.C., Freeman went full beast mode in helping propel IMG to several victories.

In a 67-53 win over Orangeville Prep in Mono, Ontario, Freeman tallied 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals.

When IMG knocked off the top-10 La Lumiere School from La Porte, Ind., 72-63, Freeman was electric. He collected 35 points, 16 rebounds and two assists, while connecting on a ridiculous 16-of-23 from the field.

Multiple national analysts and scouts praised Freeman for his play at the Pete Hollis Invitational. Rivals.com national analyst Jason Jordan named Freeman the MVP of this event.

Jordan wrote in part, “Freeman was all the way in his bag on Saturday, draining his customary mid-range jump shots, but also dominating on the glass and stepping out to knock down perimeter shots as well. His quickness bothered opposing bigs and his size was too much to handle for leaner forwards. Freeman brought great energy which only intensified as his dominance grew over the course of the game.”

Not too long ago, Freeman, who picked the ‘Cuse over other finalists Alabama, Iowa, Texas and Georgia Tech, was named to the Jordan Brand Classic, an All-America game that is slated for April 21 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Recently, Freeman has also been selected to the McDonald’s All-America game, which will transpire on April 2 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Additionally, Freeman has received inclusion to the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic All-America contest, which is scheduled for May 4 at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va.

Talk about a tremendous senior season. What’s more, last July, Freeman was a pivotal contributor as his AAU squad, the Washington-based Team Takeover, captured the prestigious Peach Jam crown in the 17U division on Nike’s EYBL circuit.