University of Massachusets Athletics
Freeman Gives Inside Game a Boost
December 29, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2003
This season the UMass men's basketball team has five new players on the roster. One of the quickest to contribute this year is 6'9" power forward Rashaun Freeman.
Freeman was a highly regarded high school player from Schenectady, N.Y., who had to sit out last season due to academics.
He has burst on the scene to become the first UMass player since John Murphy in 1972 to debut with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the opener with St. Francis (N.Y.). Freeman has been in double figures in scoring in all but one game this season and has two more double-doubles to his credit, against Central Connecticut (15 points, 13 boards) and Marshall (18 points, 10 rebounds).
Early in the season, he has been one of the Minutemen's better offensive players, as he is second on the team behind Anthony Anderson in scoring, is shooting over 50 precent from the floor, and leads the team in offensive rebounding.
"He has a lot of feel for the game and is a kind of kid with a lot of touch around the basket," said Assistant Coach Andrew Theokas. "He was well coached in high school and is willing to work. He's very strong. The key is putting him in positions where he can take advantage of his ability to get shots off."
Freeman averaged 17.8 points a game for a Schenectady High School team that the won the New York Class A Championship. He was named the Albany Times Union Player of the Year in the region and was also named All-State in New York. For a UMass team that struggled to score last season, he has become the number one option on the inside this year. He's already been named the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Week twice.
"He still has to learn to play within the framework of the team, "said head coach Steve Lappas. "Everything he is doing is strictly on pure talent. He doesn't understand yet what we're trying to do as a team out there. He needs to learn when to get the ball and when to pass the ball to the perimeter guys."
Freeman has been learning. Last year, all he could do was watch from the sideline. As a proposition 48 player, Freeman had to take classes, but couldn't practice with the team. That forced him to work individually on things like his jump shot and footwork. He also worked very hard in the weight room, putting on a lot of weight and muscle, something that is much needed to play inside in college basketball. Today, Freeman weighs 255 pounds.
He also did well in the classroom, being named to the Athletic Council Honor Roll for the spring semester in 2003. He credits Matt Komer, the assistant director for academic support for helping him learn how to focus better.
"He's a very conscientious student," said Komer. "He values his education and really takes a proactive approach in the classroom."
"I thought the academics would be the hardest adjustment," said Freeman. "But I had a little bit more time on my hands and got to focus on that more. Now that I am doing both (this season) I can balance it better."
Over the years, UMass has had a lot of successful players both on the court and in the classroom, who have had to sit out there first season on the Amherst campus. In fact the first player in NCAA history ever to sit out a year, graduate, and get their year of eligibility back was Tyrone Weeks. One of the Minutemen's best scorers, Monty Mack, also had to miss his first year, but earned his fourth year at the end by graduating. On this team now, Anthony Anderson and Gabe Lee have done very well being a student and not an athlete in their first year here, and have gone on to be outstanding players. Freeman credits his roommate and teammate, Lee, with helping him through the first year.
"I've learned a lot from Gabe," said Freeman. "If I can develop the work ethic that he has, I'll be all right."
It is a mutual admiration society, because Lee thinks that Freeman is ready to become a very good player right now. "He's aggressive and strong," said Lee. "He works hard in the weight room. Offensively, he has a lot of moves in the post. Coming in as a freshman, he has a lot more moves than I do."
Coach Lappas likes the tandem of Freeman and Lee. He likes Lee's experience and Freeman's energy. He thinks that the four and five positions have "more than held their own."
For any first year player in college there is an adjustment. Bigger players, better players, more sophisticated offenses and defenses.
"I'm happy with my offensive game," said Freeman. "Defensively, I have a lot to work on. Guarding perimeter guys has been tough for me."
In addition to guarding people, he needs to improve his rebounding on the defensive end. Currently, his rebounding numbers are about even from the offensive to the defensive end. He is third on the squad behind Lee and the 5'11" Anderson in defensive rebounds.
"You just have to go for the ball," said Freeman. "A shot goes up and I go straight for the boards. But coach said, you could do that against certain teams, but against others you have to box out and then release. I am working hard on that to be a better rebounder. You have to let your opponent know they aren't going to get something easy. Every shot that goes up, I'm going to be in their face boxing them out."
Last season the Minutemen were outrebounded on the season. This season they are slightly ahead of their opponents. For UMass to be a good rebounding team they will need big games from Freeman.
For UMass to be a good offensive team, they will need scoring from Freeman. If he is able to score inside, that will help on several fronts. It will make things easier on the perimeter for players like Anderson. It will also more than likely get the opponents big men in foul trouble if they have trouble defending him.
"Rashaun's patience is a lot better than I thought it would be," said Theokas. "I thought he would be forcing a lot more plays. He's got a much better feel of when to shoot and when to pass than I thought he would, and has a knack of getting shots off over taller players in an unorthodox manner."
This is a young team with only one really experienced player in Anthony Anderson playing for his third season as a starter. Lee and sophomore Jeff Viggiano are in their second seasons as starters and junior Brennan Martin has played primarily as spot player in his time at UMass. Freeman will be counted upon to become a veteran player in hurry this season.
"Rashaun has a lot of things to learn," said Lappas. "He has very good talent and the thing he has that makes up for a lot of deficiencies is that he plays with tremendous energy. He goes out there, loves to play, and plays hard."
"I think he has to get a better overall understanding of our offensive system," said Theokas. "When and where he's going to get opportunities to score. We work hard with him getting position and posting up. He has a tendency to try and do too much with each possession. Instead of getting the ball close to the basket and laying it in, he wants to fake everybody. He's very good at it, but we want to make it easier for him."
Experience and hard work are going to make Rashaun Freeman the kind of player Steve Lappas and his coaching staff expected when they recruited him. So far UMass fans have seen a very good diamond in the rough. With the number of minutes that Freeman will log during the season, plus the countless hours spent on the practice floor, he will certainly be a more polished player came the end of the 2003-2004 season. Rashaun Freeman is the type of player that should be a mainstay in the starting line-up for the next four years.