Syracuse sophomore forward Donnie Freeman has entered the transfer portal, he announced Tuesday on social media, a significant offseason loss for the Orange. The former five-star recruit, ranked No. 15 nationally by 247Sports, is the sixth Syracuse player to enter the portal, joining Tyler Betsey, Naithan George, Luke Fennell, Aaron Womack, and Tiefing Diawara.
Freeman spent two seasons at Syracuse, averaging 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The Washington, D.C., native arrived as the program’s highest-rated recruit since 2012 and showed early promise as a freshman, averaging 13.4 points on 50.4% shooting before a foot injury sidelined him for the final 19 games. Then-head coach Adrian Autry initially labeled the injury day-to-day before later ruling him out for the season.
Freeman returned with expectations of helping Syracuse end its NCAA Tournament drought alongside J.J. Starling, but injuries again disrupted his sophomore campaign. He missed nine games, including all three at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, as the Orange went 5-4 without him. Freeman still led Syracuse in scoring at 16.5 points per game, but the team finished 15-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight season, leading to Autry’s dismissal.
New head coach Gerry McNamara, who helped recruit Freeman, now faces a roster rebuild following his departure.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
