Rutgers Lands JUCO Forward Deshawn Freeman

Rutgers has landed a commitment from JUCO forward Deshawn Freeman of Hutchinson (KS) Community College.

I just committed to play ball at Rutgers. ?????

— Deshawn Freeman (@Cant_Guard33) April 27, 2015

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound North Carolina native averaged 19.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 55 percent. He will have two years of eligibility beginning in 2015-16.

“Deshawn chose Rutgers because of the opportunity to play and contribute to day one,” Hutch assistant Jay Cyriac told SNY.tv. “[Assistant coach] Greg Vetrone lived up to his reputation as a tenacious recruiter and was relentless.

“Deshawn was also impressed by Coach Eddie Jordan’s resume and his commitment to his alma mater. Deshawn is a hybrid four man who brings many talents to the table. His knack to score around the basket and rebound is a skill that will be evident from day 1. He is a very coachable kid and led Hutch to the Region Tournament dominating it. That is the reason why he was MVP of the tourney. He led Hutch to the Elite 8 in the NJCAA tournament.”

Numerous other schools recruited Freeman, including Arizona State, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Marquette and St. John’s. He visited Rutgers in December.

“It was good,” he told SNY.tv then. “[Jordan] said he wants me to be a part of his team. He said their offense is just like the [Washington] Wizards. The Wizards was my favorite team when he was there.”

Rutgers last week added Kansas State transfer Nigel Johnson, who must sit out the upcoming season. Freeman joins point guard Corey Sanders, shooting guard Justin Goode, forward Kejuan Johnson and wing Jonathan Laurent in Rutgers’ 2015 recruiting class.