By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The NCAA’s recruiting dead period is over and things are off to a good start for 2023 Illinois big man Owen Freeman.

The Bradley, Ill., native received a scholarship offer from the Iowa men’s basketball team on Tuesday.

“It means a lot to me,” Freeman said. “They’re a team that I’ve watched this past season a lot. Just to be able to receive an offer from that high caliber of a team is insane. It means a lot to me.”

Illinois is the only other high major school to have offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-9, 220-pound Freeman so far, but that could soon change.

Freeman said he is visiting Iowa at the end of June and also will be visiting Illinois, Butler, Purdue, Marquette, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Ohio State and Michigan State.

Freeman said he considers himself a versatile player that would fit well in coach Fran McCaffery’s system.

“I’m very comfortable with my back to the basket and making moves out of there,” Freeman said. “But I think I can also stretch and knock down 3s and pick and pop, create for my teammates off the drive and just create layups and dunk opportunities either using a spin move or a Euro step.”

Rivals.com has not yet given Freeman a rating.