Texas high school big man Sam Freeman verbally commits to Gophers
Less than 24 hours after Amir Coffey announced that he'll forego his senior season and enter the NBA Draft, the Gophers men's basketball team got some good news with a recruit out of Texas choosing the University of Minnesota.
Sam Freeman, a 6-foot-10 power forward/center, picked the Gophers over Virginia Tech.
"I was always told that hard work pays off in the end. I was always that one kid – under the radar, not highly recruited, no stars – I was and still am slept on," Freeman said in his announcement.
A coach who knows Freeman told 247 Sports that Freeman has the potential to go pro in the future, which most people wouldn't assume considering he really wasn't highly recruited, nor does he have many stars next to his name.
"Sam is a big kid who is 17 years old still learning and still developing," the source told 247 Sports. "He can be a pro one day if he covers his ears and has tunnel vision. He could go up to Minnesota and come out of there and be a pro. Could do great things for Minnesota."
It's unclear who Gophers coach Richard Pitino plans to use Freeman, but Minnesota doesn't have a lot of big man depth behind starting center Daniel Oturu, so there's probably a pretty good chance Freeman will get to play as a true freshman.
