Syracuse Basketball: National expert names 5-star Donnie Freeman a top-10 freshman

Syracuse basketball seeks to return to the NCAA Tournament in the upcoming season following a three-year absence, and freshman power forward Donnie Freeman will prove a huge part of the Orange’s mission.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Freeman, who is from Washington, D.C., put forth a stellar senior season at the powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He earned a bunch of awards and honors, suited up in several All-America showcases this past spring, and finished as a consensus five-star prospect who was ranked as high as No. 6 nationally in the 2024 class.

But now Freeman is on the Hill, and he’s competing at the collegiate level. There’s no question that his senior term at IMG, and his prior high school career at St. John’s College High School in D.C., have helped prepare him for his career with the ‘Cuse.

And national experts are forecasting that Freeman will track as one of the country’s best freshmen in the upcoming 2024-25 season, which begins in less than a month for the Orange.

My assumption is that Freeman will be in the starting rotation for head coach Adrian Autry in 2024-25, with graduate student Eddie Lampkin Jr., a transfer from Colorado, getting the start at center and junior returnee Chris Bell starting at small forward.

National expert Andy Katz, in a recent post on X, noted his top-10 freshmen ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, and he put Freeman at No. 9 overall. That’s impressive, especially given the company that Freeman resides in on Katz’s list.

Also not too long ago, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports noted his 25 impact freshmen for 2024-25, and not surprisingly, Freeman is featured here as well. Writes Rothstein: “It’s been a while since the Orange have had a freshman up front as talented as the 6-9 Freeman, who’s projected to be Syracuse’s starting power forward in 2024-25. With Freeman and Colorado transfer Eddie Lampkin, Red Autry has a formidable baseline at his disposal as he gets set for his second season as head coach of his alma mater.”

Freeman, as I’ve noted on several occasions, is the highest-rated commit for Orange at the prep level dating back to Carmelo Anthony, who as a freshman helped lead the ‘Cuse to the program’s only national championship in 2003.

Big things are anticipated out of Freeman as a freshman, too, and I’ll be curious to see if he’s a one-and-done player before heading to the professional ranks. Experts have said that Freeman is highly athletic and versatile, has a high motor, plays well on the defensive end, crashes the boards hard, and has improved his perimeter shooting.

He’s also just a flat-out winner. Freeman had a lot of success at IMG and St. John’s College High School. He captured a Peach Jam title on the EYBL circuit in the main 17U division with the D.C.-based Team Takeover in July of 2023.

Moving from high school to the college level is an adjustment, although I believe that Donnie is already well prepared given the top-flight competition he’s faced in recent years. Will he be one of the 10 best freshmen nationwide in 2024-25?

That remains to be seen. But I’m adamant that if Syracuse basketball is going to hear its name called on the next Selection Sunday, Freeman will be instrumental in making a significant impact for the Orange on both ends of the floor.