The last time NC State basketball fans saw Allerik Freeman, the former Wolfpack guard had just put up a whopping 36 points in a loss to Seton Hall to open March Madness, one of the biggest stages in the game of basketball.
The next time they see him, it might be on an even bigger stage. With the NBA draft less than two weeks away, Freeman is months into a process of training and working out for pro teams with hopes of achieving his lifelong dream of making it to the big leagues.
“I think every player that plays wants to play at the highest level,” Freeman said. “Especially the highest level that they can see themselves on. I really believe without a doubt I’m an NBA player. I feel like I can have success at the NBA level. There’s never been a doubt in my mind. I know that any team that I have a chance to contribute to and be a part of, I know that I’ll be able to help them anyway that they ask me to.”
After spending three seasons at Baylor, Freeman got a chance to return to his home state of North Carolina and play as a graduate transfer for a Wolfpack team that surprised many by making it to the NCAA Tournament as a nine seed in the first year under head coach Kevin Keatts.
The Charlotte native enjoyed getting a chance to spend a year at a true ‘basketball school’ and play in the ACC.
“To come back home, not only to North Carolina, but to be at a school where basketball is priority, and the fans are crazy for basketball, it was just a great experience,” Freeman said. “It was something you can’t measure, you can’t really dream of until you’re actually in the position. I know this season I didn’t take it for granted being at a school where basketball was the number one priority, and even though a school like NC State with so much history, so much tradition, had kind of been on the downside of things the last few years, but they still pack out an arena.”
Freeman was a key cog for NC State in that surprise season, leading the team in scoring with a career-best 16.1 points per game while averaging over 34 minutes a game. Freeman was particularly dangerous from 3-point range, where he shot 39 percent on the year.
The 6-foot-3 sniper saved some of his best performances for some of the biggest games, such as the aforementioned output against Seton Hall or going 7 for 7 from beyond the arc in an overtime win at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Freeman credits his big year to Keatts, who came to NC State with a reputation for getting the most out of his players, allowing him to play to his strength and show off elements of his game that weren’t necessarily on display earlier in his career. The fact that he was able to do that in his final year of college basketball is a big part of the NBA interest he’s drawing now.
“I think that because of the year that coach Keatts allowed me to have,” Freeman said. “Allowing me to just play and be myself is the reason why I’m in this situation in the first place and am able to have these workouts. I think if it wasn’t for transferring to [NC State] and playing with him, that I probably wouldn’t even have these opportunities.”
Freeman continues to work out with NBA teams in the hopes of landing a roster spot between now and the fall, whether that’s as a draft pick of undrafted free agent.
The next stop on Freeman’s basketball journey may be a homecoming of sorts for him, as following workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings, the most recent was with his hometown Charlotte Hornets.
“That would be amazing,” Freeman said. “It would be great. I think anybody growing up that is a fan of their hometown team would definitely appreciate it.”
The NBA draft is fast approaching, but Freeman’s focus remains on continuing to try to impress NBA teams with each opportunity he gets and not what might happen at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 21.
“I don’t have any expectations,” Freeman said. “Talking back and forth with my agent [Scott Nichols of Rize Management] I’ve got a few more workouts coming up. Within this last week, just kind of cramming them in there and just looking forward to that. That’s really it. I’m not really thinking about the draft right now, I take it day by and don’t get ahead of myself.”
