Allerik Freeman will be either a Wildcat or a Jayhawk, according to TheRecruitScoop.com. Freeman is a 4-star shooting guard (Scout.com gives him 5/5 stars) in the 2013 class out of Charlotte, North Carolina and is listed in the top-25 recruits in his class by most scouts, and among the top 5 or 6 at his position. He visited both Villanova and Kansas this fall for their Midnight Madness and Hoops Mania events.
"They are both great schools with great coaches and great tradition," he told theRecruitScooop. "I feel the most comfortable with these two schools."
Freeman also had offers from Georgetown, Arizona, NC State and others.
He is the kind of player that Jay Wright seems to covet, a tall 2-guard who can also play small forward. At 6-4 and 210 pounds, Freeman is a little smaller than Dominic Cheek or James Bell, but would be just as versatile in the Wildcats' system. There are mixed reviews on his jump shot, but scouts seem to think it is improving and could become a weapon for him in college. He is also a talented passer who excels in transition.
Freeman is a scoring guard who dominates his opponents in high school and who has a well-developed body that will be ready for the college game. ESPN described him as a "Marquette-type wing player."
"Right now he’s got a scorer’s mentality and can shoot it a little bit," his coach Ty Baumgardner told ZagsBlog. "He’s really trying to work on his ball-handling and ability to run the point and make decisions and read defenses.
Baumgardner also said they would be working on Freeman's point guard skills to try and develop him into a "true combo" guard.
He hasn't shown tremendous interest in staying close to home, and seems to basing his college decision more on his relationship with a coach and understanding of their system.
Villanova does not currently have any commitments in the class of 2013, but is currently pursuing a number of high-level recruits in that class. In addition to Freeman, the 'Cats are in the top-5 of 5-star recruits Troy Williams, Andrew and Aaron Harrison. It isn't clear if Freeman's decision will ultimately impact where the Harrison twins end up.