Sophomore center Owen Freeman has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, a source with knowledge told HawkeyeInsider. He also has a ‘do not contact’ tag attached to his name. The star post missed the final six weeks of the season after opting to get finger surgery. Freeman led Iowa in points (16.7), rebounds (6.7) and blocks (1.8) this past season.
As a freshman, Freeman was the Big Ten’s best rookie, leading the league in rebounds (203), blocks (56) and double-doubles (5), while ranking second in steals (30) and field goal percentage (.636) and third in scoring. Freeman is averaging 10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He was in double figures in 15 games with two 20-point contests.
Despite earning Big Ten’s co-Freshman of the Year, Freeman was not happy with the way everything ended.
“When we lost in the NIT, I was angry, everyone was kinda angry. I really took it personal. I feel like I didn’t do enough,” Freeman said. “I really took this offseason to get my body right, get my mind right, and really lock in on those things and working everyday to be dominant. Coach Spurlock has really implemented in that in me. Just being dominant everyday, just having the confidence to go out there and not care, and just dominate. I took it personal. Everyday has been a grind, getting better every day, and knowing that’s our goal and where we want to be at.”
Freeman’s back-to-basket game was impressive early in his career and he’s a versatile piece. He has shown the capability of hitting mid-range jump shots and passing out of the post when the double-team comes. The Illinois native also has the speed and hustle to play in an up-tempo offense.
Coming out of high school, Freeman held offers from Illinois, Michigan State, Butler, Marquette, Ohio State, Purdue, Wake Forest and Western Illinois. He also had interest from Indiana and South Dakota State.
With Fran McCaffery’s departure, Iowa’s players will have 30 days to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. It will not be surprising if there are a handful of other players that elect to look for other opportunities. There’s no question that Freeman will be highly-coveted in this transfer portal cycle.
The official portal window for college basketball opens on March 24, so the process to find a new basketball coach might not be a long one.
In addition to the notable transfer players that will eventually enter as the process continues over the next month, keep it locked here as CBS Sports and 247Sports cover the transfer portal window from top to bottom with a live tracker, updated rankings and much more.
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