Syracuse men’s basketball: 2024 commit Donnie Freeman named to McDonald’s All-American Game

The incoming forward’s stock is rising

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball program currently has one McDonald’s All-American on their roster in JJ Starling, but next season the Orange will add another.

Forward Donnie Freeman of IMG Academy was named to the 2024 McDonald’s All-American squad yesterday. He’s the first Syracuse commit to be selected to the game since Darius Bazley in 2018. Prior to Bazley, Malachi Richardson in 2015 was the most recent Syracuse recruit to be selected. Freeman will suit up for the West squad in the game, which is scheduled for April 2nd in Houston.

Prior to this announcement, Freeman had moved up in Class of 2024 rankings. 247 Sports has him now at 21st in the class, up from 28th. ESPN has Freeman up to 19th and Paul Biancardi had this to say about his improvements:

“Freeman had a good summer and made a big jump this fall in his play and productivity. All the various aspects of his game are coming together as he has speed, vertical bounce and a long, athletic frame. Freeman also displays touch and developing footwork on offense. He is averaging 22 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 50% overall. Syracuse has been enormously successful with players of similar profile and talent in the past. Freeman’s consistency and burgeoning impact for IMG has been notable this year.”

I understand fans who have questions about Adrian Autry in his 1st year, but his 1st commit after becoming Head Coach should make people feel better about his ability to land talent.