Power forward Donnie Freeman is poised for a big-time sophomore campaign with Syracuse basketball, and experts think he could be one of the top players at his position in the upcoming 2025-26 season.
The Orange officially begins its campaign on Monday night when the 'Cuse will welcome fellow Empire State team Binghamton to the JMA Wireless Dome. Ahead of that, the Orange went 2-0 during its exhibition docket, although the squad has a lot of work to do.
"I've been waiting to get back out here and play in front of the fans and play with the guys I love."@DonavanFreeman1 after his 22 and 9 in the exhibition finale pic.twitter.com/4UKJeBd3j1
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) October 30, 2025
Still, this past Wednesday night, the 6-foot-9, 205-pound Freeman was excellent as Syracuse basketball used a second-half surge to defeat Division II Pace on the Hill, 75-57. In 26 minutes, he scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while going 9-of-16 from the field.
Syracuse basketball power forward Donnie Freeman should contend for All-ACC honors.
On Thursday, the Washington, D.C., native was one of 20 college players named to the preseason watch list for the 2026 Karl Malone Award, which is given out annually to the best power forward at the Division I level.
That's a great honor for Freeman, so it begs the question: Can he be the nation's top power forward in 2025-26? It's too early to tell, frankly. And he's got hefty competition from studs like Arizona's Koa Peat, Duke's Cameron Boozer, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg, Texas Tech's JT Toppin and UConn's Alex Karaban, among others.
Chances are good that Freeman won't end up winning this season's Karl Malone Award, but then again, who knows? If he keeps playing as he did earlier this week, look out for Freeman, who was a five-star, top-10 national prospect in the 2024 class and a McDonald's All-American.
In his freshman campaign for the 'Cuse, Freeman only appeared in 14 games due to an injury. His initial stint with the Orange was promising, as Freeman averaged 13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per contest while hitting on 50.4 percent from the field, 79.6 percent from the free-throw line and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Hopefully, Freeman will continue to improve on the defensive end. He's a beast on the boards and ultra-athletic. If Freeman can be relatively solid from 3-point land, too, that will only make his all-around game even better.
Should he have a strong sophomore season, one in which Syracuse basketball eyes a return to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year absence, Freeman will surely get some 2026 NBA Draft buzz.
But first, let's enjoy the upcoming campaign. Donnie is extremely talented and could emerge as an All-ACC player and one of the country's top big men.