Iowa freshman forward Owen Freeman shows early signs of being special
Illinois native named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for program record fifth time
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Though, it’s still early and a small body of work, Iowa freshman forward Owen Freeman is showing signs that he might be special.
His high skill set is matched by his high energy and work ethic.
And, of course, it helps being 6-foot-10 and fundamentally sound as a post player.
Freeman has been one of the bright spots, maybe the brightest so far in Iowa’s season.
The team is certainly a work in progress, and sometimes a slow work in progress, as evidenced by its 1-3 record in Big Ten play.
Freeman, on the other hand, has held his own since his Hawkeye debut, and now he just keeps getting better.
He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for a program record fifth time on Monday, and the regular season isn’t even half over.
Freeman scored a career-high 15 points in this past Saturday’s 86-77 victory over Rutgers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and he recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds in an 83-72 loss at Wisconsin in the previous game.
Freeman has started the last six games, and he shows no signs of losing his spot.
He has scored in double-figures eight times, including in each of the past three games, has grabbed at least five rebounds in seven games, leads the team with 30 blocks and has 17 steals.
“I just keep telling him to trust his talent. I mean, he’s really good,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said after the Rutgers win. “I never want him to be tentative about anything, Screen and roll, dunk, dribbling the ball up the floor.”
McCaffery pulled Freeman aside during the Rutgers game to remind him about staying aggressive.
“The one time against the press, he here comes, and he picked his dribble up over the half-court line to look for somebody,” Fran McCaffery said. “And I said, what did you stop for? Keep going. He can get all the way to the rim and dunk it in transition.
“So, I think the more opportunities he has to make those kinds of plays, the more confident he will get.”
Freeman is among four freshmen on Iowa’s current roster, along with point guard Brock Harding and forwards Ladji Dembele and Pryce Sandfort. All four freshmen are in the rotation and have flashed at times.
What separates Freeman from the other three freshmen right now is his consistency on both ends of the floor.
He and 6-9 graduate transfer Ben Krikke are now more comfortable playing alongside each other and are starting to form a productive one-two punch on the front line.
“When he’s going and he’s excited, it’s easy for the team to get going, too,” Krikke said of Freeman. “He’s not playing like a freshman. I’ve been saying that all year. He just passed his years, I guess. It’s really good and good to see him be aggressive and catch and finish.
“And obviously, effect that gam defensively, too.”
Freeman and Harding won a state title together last season for Moline High School in Illinois, and they were sort of a package deal.
Freeman picked Iowa over scholarship offers from schools that include Purdue, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Indiana, Marquette, Illinois, Northwestern, and Butler.
It’s easy to see now why so many Power Five programs thought enough of Freeman to offer him a scholarship.
He is by far the most impactful freshman in the conference, and will be counted on to play a significant role the rest of the way for the 9-6 Hawkeyes.
Iowa’s next game is Friday against Nebraska at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and figuring a way to contain Freeman will likely be among Fred Hoiberg’s top priorities.
Because the word is certainly out about Owen Freeman.
The kid can play.