Former Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman’s move to St. John’s was supposed to set up a fresh chapter. Instead, it’s on hold before it even really begins.
Rick Pitino announced Wednesday on his X account that Freeman suffered an Achilles tendon injury in a non-contact summer workout, and that he will not play for St. John’s in 2026-27 after transferring from Syracuse following the dismissal of Adrian Autry and his coaching staff.
That development also means the upcoming Syracuse-St. John’s regular-season game at Madison Square Garden, which still needs to be finalized, will not include Freeman facing his old program under new Orange coach Gerry McNamara.
The injury is the third major college setback for Freeman, the Washington, D.C. native who starred in his final scholastic season at IMG Academy in Florida before arriving in college. He was entering his junior season at St. John’s.
Freeman’s Syracuse career was repeatedly interrupted by injuries. As a freshman in 2024-25, he got off to a strong start, averaging 13 points and 8 rebounds per game, before a right foot injury ended his season after 19 games. Last season, he missed nine early non-conference games with an injury to that same foot, including losses to Houston, Kansas and Iowa State in the Player’s Era Festival and a win over Tennessee in the Dome.
He still finished as Syracuse’s leading scorer during the final, disappointing stretch of the Autry era, putting up 16.5 points per game in a 15-17 season. After that, Freeman explored transfer possibilities, including talks with Kentucky and Louisville, before choosing Pitino and a St. John’s team that went 30-7 and reached the Sweet 16 last season.
For Syracuse fans, the news landed hard even though Freeman is now an opponent. The nature of the injury was tough enough on its own, and it also struck a familiar nerve.
Pitino’s announcement immediately brought back the memory of Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli going down in a non-contact situation at Clemson Stadium on September 20 last year with a torn Achilles before the Orange held on to beat the Tigers 34-21.
Then on March 30, while head coach Fran Brown was at the Dome for McNamara’s introduction as head coach, he learned that prized five-star wide receiver recruit and basketball walk-on forward Calvin Russell III had suffered the same injury during practice that day.
Angeli has said he is ready for the season, while Russell’s return timeline remains unclear until later in the summer.
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