Freeman prepares to face familiar foe

By Zach Swartz, Staff Writer

January 25, 2008 | 11:17 a.m.

The score was 80-56. Muncie Central High School had just lost its second straight Indiana State Championship to Lawrence North. Muncie Central junior Tommy Freeman, now an Ohio University freshman, had scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds, but his efforts were not enough to overcome North seniors Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr.’s combined 47 points and 18 boards that led to their third state title. Still, Freeman had gotten the chance to see some tough competition that would prepare him for his future in college basketball.

This Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center, Freeman gets a chance to go back to his roots as the Bobcats take on the Ball State Cardinals, located in Freeman’s hometown of Muncie, Ind. The 6-foot-5-inch, 180-pound guard, who was once a member of the Little Cardinals, a part of Ball State basketball’s halftime shows, has lived in Muncie all his life until moving to Athens this school year. His father even worked as Ball State's women’s basketball athletic trainer at one time.

But despite growing up in Muncie and having led Muncie Central to two high school state runner-up finishes and one regional championship, the Cardinals never recruited him. After being contacted by Northern Colorado, Dartmouth, Belmont, and Ohio, Freeman, who averaged 10.3 points per game and shot 45 percent from the three-point line in high school, decided that OU was the right place for him. So far, he feels as though he’s made a good choice.

“[Athens] is smaller, but I definitely like the small-town atmosphere,” Freeman said. “It’s a little easier down here, just laid-back, kind of casual.”

Still, Freeman credits competing against players like Oden and Conley in the high-intensity state of Indiana for giving him the experience necessary to play Division I basketball.

“Being from Indiana definitely prepares you for D-I basketball,” Freeman said. “Basically, you grow up, and that’s your dream: to play D-I. And now you’re actually playing. I can’t believe that I’m actually playing D-I, so it feels good to be at the level that you’ve worked for all your life.”

“He's one of our hardest workers and is a great example for everyone on our team about perseverance,” said coach Tim O’Shea regarding Freeman, who on Wednesday at Buffalo put up a career-high 13 points while going 2-3 from behind the three-point arc. Freeman was averaging just 7.9 minutes played and 2.1 points per game heading into the Buffalo game.

“It felt pretty good,” Freeman said. “I’ve been working pretty hard in practice and just maintaining that level throughout the weeks. To get in there and finally show everyone what I can do, it really felt good.”

Still, Freeman’s goals extend beyond the next match up against his hometown university. With the Bobcats tied for third in the Mid-American Conference East Division, Freeman believes that his team can get to the NCAA tournament for just the second time since 1994. When asked if a win against his hometown university would mean a lot to him, however, his response was simple.

“A little bit,” Freeman said. “Maybe just because they didn’t recruit me.”

Coming off the best performance of his short collegiate career, Freeman feels ready for a repeat, or perhaps a new career-high, against his hometown Cardinals.

“Well,” Freeman said, “that’s the plan.”