Rick Pitino proved he’s never out of a race on Monday night as the St. John’s basketball team landed Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman, its first addition from the transfer portal this offseason.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds this season for the Orange, shooting 47.4-percent from the floor and 30.2-percent from 3-point range. However, in the last two seasons he’s been limited by injuries to just 37 total games.
Still, he was one of the most talented players to enter the transfer portal this offseason and becomes the second major addition by the Red Storm next to British point guard Quinn Ellis.
St. John’s involvement in the 6-foot-9 forward’s recruitment picked up steam within the last 24 hours. Kentucky was seen as the favorite to land Donnie Freeman after hosting him on a visit and then canceling a planned trip to UConn, but Pitino and the Red Storm were able to change his mind and turn the tide in its favor.
Freeman did not work out nor visit the school before committing.
"I believe in what Rick Pitino is doing,” he told 247Sports. “He is a high-level coach, and I believe he can get me to the next point in my career.”
The versatility of the Syracuse forward is what stands out the most about his game. He has the potential to serve as a replacement for Dillon Mitchell on the defensive side of the floor while he can emulate some of the things Bryce Hopkins did offensively.
St. John’s hope is that he can play alongside returning forward Ruben Prey as well as a transfer portal center as the team looks to replace its starting frontcourt of Mitchell, Hopkins, and Zuby Ejiofor.
The Johnnies are coming off of back-to-back seasons in which it won the Big East regular season and tournament championships and its hope is that Donnie Freeman can maintain the standard of excellence in Queens.
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