University of Akron men's basketball star Enrique Freeman is an NBA draft pick — the first for the Zips program in nearly 40 years.
Freeman was drafted Thursday by the Indiana Pacers in the second round (No. 50 overall).
ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony said Freeman "might be the best story in the draft" during the network's telecast of the draft, and that Freeman impressed NBA coaches and executives with his "toughness" during "outstanding workouts."
The ESPN telecast listed Freeman's strengths as "elite rebounder" and "high motor."
Here's what else to know about Freeman:
The 23-year-old Freeman led the nation in rebounds per game last season as a forward with a relentless motor.
He was born in Cleveland and came to Akron's campus as a freshman in 2018 on an academic scholarship. He joined the Zips as a walk-on ahead of the 2019-20 season after an open tryout and worked his way into an athletic scholarship. He went from an energy guy to a defensive stopper and elite rebounder to the focal point of the offense during his Akron career. Along the way, he improved his shooting and ballhandling to become a complete player.
Freeman led Akron to Mid-American Conference Tournament championships and trips to the NCAA tournament in 2022 and 2024.
Freeman was named the MAC Tournament MVP in 2022 and 2024, the MAC Player of the Year in 2024 and Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention in 2024 . He also finished his career as a two-time All-MAC first team selection and a four-time All-MAC Defensive team honoree (MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022).
Freeman is 6-foot, 7.25 inches and weighs 212 pounds. He possesses a 7-2 wingspan.
Freeman averaged averaged 18.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.6 assists in 35 games as a senior. Freeman tied the NCAA single-season record for double-doubles with 31 , joining North Carolina 's Armando Bacot (2022) and Navy's David Robinson (1986) as the only players to achieve the feat.
Freeman finished his Akron career first in rebounds (1,405), second in blocks (186) and third in points (1,843) in 132 games. He was a finalist for the Karl Malone Award, the Oscar Robertson Award and the Lou Henson Award this year. His career rebound total ranks 38th all-time in NCAA Division I, and he's No. 8 among guys who played in the last 30 years.
Freeman also shot 37.0% from 3-point range in his final year at Akron. He went from being just 1-for-6 on 3s over the first 97 games of his career to making 20 of 54 3s this past season.
Akron's NCAA tournament appearances with Freeman ended in losses to UCLA in 2022 and Creighton in 2024 .
Freeman delivered strong performances in his final four games in an Akron uniform. He had 30 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in a 75-63 win over Miami (Ohio) ; 24 points, a MAC tournament-record 21 rebounds and seven blocks in a 65-62 win over Ohio ; 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in a 62-61 win over Kent State ; and 21 points, 14 rebounds and two steals in a 77-60 loss to Creighton .
Freeman jumped up draft boards after performing well in the college coaches association all-star game , and in three other events — the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, the NBA G-League Elite Camp and the NBA Draft Combine.
Freeman is the ninth University of Akron men's basketball player to get drafted.
The first two were Fred "Fritz" Nagy and Joe Wahl, who were selected in the Basketball Association of America, a league that existed for three seasons and merged with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.
Nagy was selected by the Pittsburgh Ironmen in the second round of the 1947 BAA Draft with the 16th pick and Wahl was tabbed by the Philadelphia Warriors in the eighth round of the 1948 BAA Draft with the 89th pick.
The other previous six Akron players to get picked in NBA drafts are:
Lou Arko, Syracuse Nationals , 1950, seventh round, 84th pick
Bill Turner, New York Knicks , 1966, ninth round, 78th pick and then San Francisco Warriors, 1967, third round, 27th pick
Len Paul, Detroit Pistons , 1973, 11th round, 171st pick
Nathaniel Barnett, Houston Rockets , 1975, seventh round, 119th pick
Joe Jakubick, Cleveland Cavaliers , 1984, seventh round, 142nd pick
Marcel Boyce, Phoenix Suns , 1987, sixth round, 122nd pick
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenAB J.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron's Enrique Freeman picked by Indiana Pacers in Round 2 of NBA draft
