Syracuse’s top target in the 2024 class, Donnie Freeman, will be making his college decision on Thursday, May 11th in what will be a moment SU fans will be locking in to see if Adrian Autry can land his first major high school recruit. Freeman visited the Orange back in early April, and the SU coaches saw him again at the Nike EYBL in Atlanta later in the month. Now, he’s ready to decide between Syracuse, Texas, Iowa, Alabama, and Georgia Tech.
Standing 6’9 at 200 lbs according to Rivals, Freeman is a prototypical Syracuse wing, mirroring guys like Jerami Grant, Wesley Johnson, and others in terms of size and length on the perimeter. He’s from Washington, DC, a point of emphasis recruiting area for Autry and new assistant coach Brendan Straughn. He’s the 32nd overall player in the class according to 247 Sports and a four-star prospect and would be SU’s second player to commit in the class behind wing Elijah Moore from New York. Here’s what Freeman said about Syracuse to On3.com:
“They have a history of getting players like me, Jerami Grant, Carmelo Anthony, to the league. They recruit the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) really hard with players like Judah Mintz and Benny Williams on their roster. That was my dream school growing up, so all of that is really attractive.”
It’s good to know that Freeman acknowledges Syracuse’s DMV ties, and how the history that the Orange have there is good, and a connection that sends players to the pros. Freeman could be the next pro player in the SU pipeline and believes that his game resembles some of the best players in the NBA.
“I’m very versatile, athletic, can really do it all on the floor, but I’m still expanding my game,” Freeman told On3 previously. “I’m an improved shooter; I’ve really been working on that since the summer. I want to get to be a better ball handler, too, which will separate me from other players in the country like me. I watch a lot of Paul George, how he is twitchy with his moves, and Jayson Tatum with his footwork in the post.”
Syracuse’s forwards last season were anything but versatile. Chris Bell was a stand-still shooter and not much else, Benny Williams had flashes of his potential but never put it all together, and Maliq Brown rebounded well and made his layups, but doesn’t offer anything on the perimeter. Freeman can be different and an elite player at the college level, and he’s ready to work for it.
“I want to be pushed. I want to play at the next level, that is my main goal, and that has been it since I was a little kid,” Freeman said to On3. “Really, I don’t want to be babied at all, I want to make it to the next level, and that will be big for me in my decision. I want it to feel like home and to be in an environment that is comfortable. Style of play will be big for me. I don’t want to be stagnant, I want to be moved around and used in multiple ways.”
The predictions for Freeman have been rolling in over the past few weeks, with one 247 Sports crystal ball to Syracuse, and four Rivals forecasts have predicted that Freeman lands in Central New York. Only time will tell, but it looks like SU fans could be getting some good news on Thursday afternoon.
