Former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman commits to St. John’s
Former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman has committed to St. John’s, he announced on social media Monday night. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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Former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman has committed to St. John’s, he announced on his Instagram Monday night. Freeman was ranked No. 6 overall in his recruiting class, per ESPN, and averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in two seasons at SU.
Freeman was the Orange’s highest-ranked recruit since 2012, but injuries marred his two years in central New York. He played in 14 games during his freshman season but didn’t see the court after Jan. 4 when he suffered a foot injury, ending the campaign with 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest.
Freeman returned for his sophomore year, but he faced another injury-riddled season. He missed eight of Syracuse’s 32 games in 2025-26, including the Orange’s three-game trip to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival.
Even though he played for the back half of SU’s season and led the team in points, he was inconsistent, and Syracuse failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season. Despite Gerry McNamara taking over as head coach, he couldn’t retain Freeman, a player he helped recruit when he was on SU’s staff.
After the year, Freeman entered the portal. He opted to join St. John’s, which was a No. 5 seed in this year’s March Madness led by legendary head coach Rick Pitino. The Red Storm had to replenish their frontcourt with the departures of Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell. Freeman joins a Big East contender and likely high seed in next year’s NCAA Tournament.
Freeman is the latest and highest-profile Orange player to enter the transfer portal and announce their destination. Luke Fennell announced he’s headed to St. Mary’s, while Tyler Betsey committed to BYU and Naithan George is headed to Pitt.
McNamara has reeled in some valuable pieces to replace the production the Orange lost with Freeman’s departure. Syracuse earned commitments from Gavin Doty, Tasman Goodrick and Aiden Tobiason — who all averaged over nine points last season — plus picked up international commitments in Mark Morano Mahmutovič and Abdramane Siby.
