LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — One of the big question marks for Siena men’s basketball coming into the season – given a sizeable roster turnover – is who can first-year head coach Gerry McNamara lean on for leadership to help implement the vision he has for the program?
When NEWS10 Sports met with the Saints on Wednesday, McNamara mentioned how returner Michael Ojo has greatly contributed to the team’s integration process during summer workouts. But he also added how impressed he’s been by a member of the transfer class: Major Freeman.
“In the speed dating process that the transfer portal is, you kind of got to get lucky in a lot of ways,” said McNamara. “And I’m telling you right now, I got really, really lucky with Major Freeman.”
Freeman, a junior college transfer guard from Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina, comes to Siena after a huge season with the Pioneers; he averaged 15.4 points per game, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Freeman was ranked the 11th-best junior college guard by JucoRecruiting.com.
While McNamara had already established personal connections with some of the new roster additions even before recruiting them this past offseason, he said he had no prior relationship with Freeman, and had only seen Freeman on tape.
McNamara has only become more enamored with Freeman since the guard’s arrival at Siena.
“He and I kind of clicked right away from the first phone call, and he just matches everything I do,” said McNamara. “Every day I show up, he’s the first person here. He’s the first one in every drill. I talked about Michael Ojo a little bit; I’d put Major Freeman right at the top of this list in terms of what he’s meant to the program in my first month on the job, and how easy it’s been because of him. He’s a guy that can play multiple positions – the one or the two – and you put the ball in his hands; he knows every single set that I put in. I feel like I’ve put guys like him in place, you know, that I didn’t necessarily have a relationship with, but I just kind of got lucky in terms of he’s about all the right stuff. And I’ve got that really across the board.”
Freeman is already spoken like a true leader.
“As a point guard, [I’m] just trying to be an everyday guy,” said Freeman. “Sometimes…players are going to be down; bring them up. Always keep high energy. Keep everybody’s head high, and just make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to do.
And Freeman has quite the role model in McNamara. He’s watched some of his coach’s old tape from Syracuse University, and will even be wearing McNamara’s old number: No. 3.
“Just blessed to…even be recruited by Gerry, as great an athlete as he was. [I’m] taking some of his…his keys – some of the things he did, and just workin’ out with them; sharpening my game.”