Owen Freeman, 2023 power forward, commits to Iowa

Owen Freeman, a 6-foot-10 power forward out of Bradley (Ill.) Bradley-Bourbonnais has committed to Iowa basketball for the class of 2022, he tells On3.

Freeman is the Hawkeyes’ first commitment of the 2023 class. They’re also targeting Jeremy Fears, Taison Chatman, Aaron Clark, Taylor Bowen, Omaha Biliew, Gus Yalden, among others.

Freeman ultimately chose the Iowa Hawkeyes over Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. He also received offers from Ohio State, Purdue, Marquette, Butler, Wake Forest, among others.

Owen Freeman on why he chose Iowa

“I’m a big religious guy and I was praying about it and I felt like that’s where God put me,” Freeman said. “On the way home (from the visit), I was talking to my parents and I was like ‘this is where I’m supposed to be.’ Later that day, I called Coach (Fran) McCaffery and Coach (Kirk) Speraw and let them know.”

How did the coaches react to hearing the news? “Coach Speraw was like ‘let’s go!’ and he was extremely excited,” Freeman said. “Coach McCaffery was like ‘who loves you more than me?’ and I just started laughing. They were both really excited and I’m super pumped.”

It is fairly early to make a college decision, considering Freeman still has two years of high school remaining but he says “I know Iowa is where I’m supposed to be. I also want these last two years of high school to just focus on basketball and be a kid, without any pressure.”

What was the coaching staff’s recruiting pitch to Keller?

“Coach McCaffery loved my playing style and he says I’ll be able to make an impact as soon as I step on campus,” Freeman said. “He said we’re going to make some noise and that people in Iowa and people in the Big Ten Country are going to know who I am. He went through how I’m versatile and how I’d fit in the system.”

How does Freeman describe his game?

“I’m a stretch four. I’m very comfortable with my back to the basket but I also like to push the ball. I like to shoot it but I also want to get my teammates involved. I’m an all-around player and even on the defensive end…like blocking shots.”