Donnie Freeman Appreciates Syracuse's Approach on Official Visit

The Orange basketball program hosted the elite 2024 forward.

Syracuse basketball hosted class of 2024 forward Donnie Freeman for an official visit recently. Freeman is considered a top 35 player in the class and one of the top forward prospects. This was his fourth official visit, after trips to Iowa, Texas and Alabama. 

"The visit was pretty straightforward," Freeman said. "They got straight to the point. Down there, it was strictly about business. Having good conversations, honest conversations. That's really what meant the most to me was how straightforward it was. Syracuse was really blatant about what they wanted to do with me in that class and I really liked that." 

The main focus of the visit was Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry's approach and how Freeman fits into that vision. 

"Of course he's going to change a couple of things with the man defense," Freeman said. "Change their forwards. I fit their game plan with versatile forwards. They have a couple versatile forwards already but they want to keep that going. He feels I fit with what he wants to do with the program." 

Freeman was familiar with the Syracuse campus and facilities from previous visits.

"I had kind of seen it already, but this time it was more in depth," Freeman said. "I did some testing, talked to the strength and conditioning guy. Just more in depth. even though I had seen it already, I got a better understanding of what Autry is going to do." 

One of the highlights of the visit was the photo shoot while trying on the Syracuse uniform and holding the National Championship trophy. Ironically on the 20th anniversary of that day. 

"That's always one of my favorite parts of the visit," Freeman said. "It was fun. The people around me, if you've ever been around those types of people they have up at Syracuse, it was fun. It was a fun experience in general taking the pictures." 

The 6-9 forward also spent time with new Syracuse assistant Brenden Straughn. 

"I knew him for a while before the visit, so this wasn't my first time meeting him," Freeman said. "I've known him for about two years prior to this. He's a former Takeover coach so I already had a relationship with him. That's family. We're from the same area. I've talked to him multiple times before. Me getting to know him wasn't anything new." 

Freeman was able to speak with some of the current players, including his host Benny Williams. 

"They're really excited to see what Autry has in store for them," Freeman said. "I clicked with them because I already had a relationship with some of them. They all did (trying to convince me to team up with them), pretty much. Benny was my player host. Of course I knew him prior. We were just catching up, not anything too crazy." 

Freeman had his parents with him on the trip. 

"My family is a [DMV] family so we're big on being real with you," Freeman said. "Being 100. Syracuse did just that. My mom and dad were already close with Autry and coach B. Just getting a better feel for them. This was my mom and sister's first time on campus. They got to see everything and were kind of wowed by it." 

Overall, the visit made an impression on the elite forward prospect. 

"I definitely could see myself there," Freeman said. "I mean I could see myself there before (the visit). I really liked the visit."

With four visits in the rearview mirror, Freeman has the ability to take another before making a decision. He says he has not decided yet if he will do that, nor has a definitive decision timeline in mind. The next step for him will be to reflect on this visit, discuss where things stand in his recruitment with his family and reevaluate from there. 

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