A Free man
Released from his scholarship at Iowa, Tony Freeman isn’t certain where the next chapter in his basketball story will be written.
A competitor who dispised losing as much as any player who put on a Hawkeye uniform last season, Freeman is a little uncomfortable not knowing what the future might bring and in some respects, he feels he was pushed out the door at Iowa. At the same time, he acknowledges that his game isn’t exactly a perfect fit for the style of basketball that the Hawkeyes want to play these days.
Round peg. Square hole.
It’s nothing new. Freeman isn’t the first player to be stuck in a system he wasn’t recruited to play in. He won’t be the last.
Give credit to Freeman for at least being willing to try. It would have been easy for him to bolt when Steve Alford sprinted out of Carver-Hawkeye Arena a year ago, hopped in his Escalade and jetted off to Albuquerque.
Look at the exodus that has taken place at Indiana since Kelvin Sampson’s university-issued cellphone was taken away. That’s the way it’s played these days in the college game.
While some players were noncommital about their future on the day when Todd Lickliter was introduced as Iowa’s new coach, Freeman didn’t waiver. He was staying put. No ifs. No ands. No buts. He was where he wanted to be.
Freeman worked hard to make it work. He worked on his offensive game, but struggled defensively and was never truly comfortable at the point where he was forced to play.
Without question his foot injury forced him to play from behind all season as he attempted to learn Lickliter’s system and it just didn’t fit. When the Hawkeyes’ 13-19 year came to a merciful end in the opening round of the Big Ten tourney, no starter played fewer minutes than Freeman.
Perhaps there was a message being sent. Perhaps the round peg and square hole were never meant to fit. Sometimes, that’s the way it works.
Now free to select a new place to continue his career, Freeman will find himself with a fresh start. He’ll have the two full years he truly wanted to work on his game before taking his chances at the next level, time he needs to grow defensively and to work on his mid-range shooting skills.
A quality person who made the most of an awkward situation, Freeman deserves the chance to find the right fit.
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