Iowa forward Owen Freeman entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. Freeman has a “do not contact” tag as far as what could be next.
Freeman unfortunately saw his season cut short due to finger surgery in February. Not only that, he’ll look for a new home now that Iowa parted ways with head coach Fran McCaffery.
Freeman’s season-ending injury was a massive blow to the Hawkeyes. Freeman was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder this season, averaging 16.7 points and 6.7 boards per game while shooting an efficient 63.8% from the field.
Freeman was the only Hawkeye who has scored double figures in every game this season, to that point. It was an impressive leap this season for Freeman, who was already excellent during his debut campaign.
Last season, Freeman was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches after being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week nine times — the second-most in league history.
In Owen Freeman’s final game this season, he recorded 14 points and eight rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Alas, the Hawkeyes were unable to come away with the win, falling 82-65 to Ohio State.
As a member of the Class of 2023, Freeman was a three-star recruit out of Moline (Ill.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 6 overall prospect in the state, the No. 37 power forward in the class and the No. 189 overall prospect in the class.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Freeman could be the one of a few players that opt to hit the portal at this point with McCaffery gone.
In his 15 seasons as their head coach, Iowa posted a 297-207 record and a 143-141 mark in conference play. The Hawkeyes made it to the NCAA Tournament seven times during that tenure but failed to ever make it past the Round of 32. They also would’ve likely earned another in 2019-20 but that postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
McCaffery’s best season at the helm of the program was the 2021-22 campaign when the Hawkeyes posted a 26-10 overall record, a 12-8 conference mark and won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2006. The team was led by Keegan Murray, a Consensus All-American and All-Big Ten selection who went on to be the No. 4 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Unfortunately for McCaffery, he was unable to capture similar success this past season. Iowa finished the regular season 16-15 and 7-13 in conference play before ultimately suffering a season-ending loss in the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes won their opening matchup against Ohio State but fell to Illinois in the second round. During that game, which now end up being his final one, McCaffery was ejected after receiving two technical fouls.
