Donnie Freeman Looking to Officially Visit Syracuse Basketball Next Month

One of the top forwards in the 2024 recruiting class is high on the Orange.

Class of 2024 forward Donnie Freeman has been a priority for Syracuse basketball for years. Even with the coaching change as Jim Boeheim retired and Adrian Autry took over, that has remained consistent. On Friday, coach Autry traveled to St. John's College High in Washington (D.C.) to meet with the 6-9 forward, who is a four star prospect and considered a top 30 or top 40 player this cycle. 

"It was kind of last minute," Freeman said. "He texted me last night and said he was coming by the school."

The discussions during the meeting covered a variety of topics. 

"The meeting was very productive," Freeman said. "He was telling me about my future if I do decide to go there. He was talking about the transfer portal, Judah Mintz, we talked about a whole bunch of things. His path, how he got to Syracuse, his connection to Syracuse." 

Freeman averaged 21.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game during his junior season. That productivity along with his skill set, length and athleticism are why Syracuse thinks he is a perfect fit. 

"He said he wants to be versatile on offense," Freeman said. "He feels like that fits my game. Defense, they're no longer going to run just the 2-3 zone that they're known for. They're going to deviate from that and go to man. Change the principles up a little bit. But he might, according to his words, switch to it sometimes but their primary defense will be man to man." 

The fact that Autry is already scheduling an in person meeting shortly after becoming the head coach at Syracuse left an impression on Freeman. 

"It means a lot," Freeman said. "They've been recruiting me since the eighth grade, himself and the Syracuse program. They're making the full court press on me now because it's prime time for players to be making their college decision." 

Besides Syracuse, Freeman said Alabama, Texas and others are also making that "full court press." He is planning on taking an official visit to Syracuse next month. 

"My spring break is the 6th through the 17th of April, so we'll probably try to get it in sometime in there," Freeman said. "I want to be comfortable, see how they treat their players on campus. I want the right fit. I don't really want to force anything. Just looking for the right fit. I want to feel comfortable where I'm at, like a home away from home." 

He does not have a set timeframe for making a final decision. Instead, he says it could come at anytime or could go through the summer and beyond. It is whenever he feels that he has found his next home. 

SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE

SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE ALL SYRACUSE NEWSLETTER TO GET THE LATEST ORANGE UPDATES SENT TO YOUR INBOX

JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF