Moline’s Owen Freeman made a loud first impression to Division I basketball. Debuting for Iowa, Freeman had 14 points in 15 minutes, shooting 7 of 8 from the field and earning Big Ten freshman of the week.
“It shows the hard work and confidence that has been growing, so it was a huge honor and I’m very blessed to receive it,” said Freeman. “I want to get more, so we’ll just keep working and stay in the gym.”
What’s helped Freeman adjust is playing alongside the three other freshmen, including Moliner Brock Harding, who all have established roles in the early going.
“If we’re all facing the same problem, it’s really easy to talk about it,” Freeman said. “It helps build those relationships that’ll get stronger over the next couple years.”
The Hawkeyes international trip to France and Spain this summer grew Freeman’s relationships with his new teammates.
“Being able to establish that on-court relationship for a couple games in Europe. We play with each other in practice so to get those on-court reps early was huge,” Freeman said.
With the season just beginning, Freeman is excited to keep developing his game in the Hawkeyes’ two-big system.
“I like playing in a two-big system, especially with someone like Ben (Krikke), who is established,” Freeman said. “To see the way he moves around the floor with confidence, building off each other, I really enjoy it.”
Through the first four games, Freeman is averaging just over 9 points per game, good for fifth-best on the Hawkeyes. He’s played over half of the minutes and is shooting 61 percent from the field.
Iowa’s next game is Thursday in San Diego against Oklahoma.
