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Auburn HC Steven Pearl adds former Iowa star after Creighton failure
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- Auburn HC Steven Pearl adds former Iowa star after Creighton failure
DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Auburn HC Steven Pearl adds former Iowa star after Creighton failure appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Auburn Tigers and head coach Steven Pearl on Monday secured a commitment from former Creighton Bluejays forward Owen Freeman, a 6-foot-10 big man with one year of eligibility remaining.
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Freeman arrives after a difficult junior season at Creighton. He appeared in 26 games, making nine starts, and averaged 5.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in just 11.9 minutes per game while shooting 60.2% from the field. A knee injury suffered during the offseason delayed his development, and he never fully regained rhythm, also contributing sparingly in postseason action.
Amid the downturn in form, Freeman's production with the Iowa Hawkeyes remains the clearest indicator of his upside. As a freshman in 2023-24, he averaged 10.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. He followed that with a strong sophomore campaign, finishing with 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds across 19 games while shooting 63.8% from the field. He scored in double figures in all 19 appearances and recorded three double-doubles before a finger injury ended his season early.
Over 79 career games, Freeman holds averages of 10.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game, demonstrating consistent interior production when healthy. His connection with Auburn assistant Matt Gatens, who previously coached him at Iowa, played an important role in his transfer decision.
Freeman, once ranked among the top 200 recruits nationally, was also listed as the No. 47 power forward in the 2026 transfer portal rankings. His role with the Tigers will depend on his ability to return to the form he displayed at Iowa, where he was one of the Big Ten's most efficient interior scorers.
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Freeman becomes Auburn's second transfer addition this cycle and joins a revamped frontcourt that includes Bukky Oboye (Santa Clara transfer) and French 7-footer Narcisse Ngoy. He is the third frontcourt addition overall, addressing a glaring roster gap after the Tigers operated without a true center rotation last season.
Pearl's first season leading Auburn resulted in a 22-16 overall record and a 7-11 mark in conference play. Although the Tigers narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament, the team won five consecutive games to win the NIT championship
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