When graduate guard Allerik Freeman transferred from Baylor to NC State, everyone expected him to be “the guy.”
In his final year of eligibility, Freeman was handed the reigns of the Wolfpack offense in the first half of the season, and this freedom eventually led to his removal from NC State’s starting lineup for five games.
In the first 19 games of the 2017-18 season, Freeman had a bad case of tunnel vision. The Charlotte native got caught up playing hero ball, trying to muster points in isolation situations instead of moving the opposing defense with ball movement.
Freeman converted just 31.7 percent of his shots from the field, and 25.4 percent from beyond the arc in those 19 outings.
Sitting at a reasonable overall record of 13-6 and 3-3 in the ACC, head coach Kevin Keatts chose to switch things up and benched Freeman for senior forward Abdul-Malik Abu.
Something clicked for the once ball-dominant guard in those five outings, and Keatts believes that the veteran is finally trusting his teammates.
“When you’re a fifth-year guy, and you switch schools and you’re in a new system, you’re probably gonna force stuff early on,” Keatts said. “He’s learned how to trust other people. … I think he’s starting to trust his teammates.”
Freeman earned NCAA Player of the Week honors for his performance in victories at Pittsburgh and at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Against the Panthers, Freeman scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half to help the Pack overcome a 10-point deficit. He also hit two clutch free throws with eight seconds remaining to seal the win.
Then, he exploded for a career-high 29 points in an upset over the Tar Heels in the Dean Dome. His perfect 7-for-7 performance behind the arc not only assisted the Pack in defeating UNC for the first time since 2015, but also tied the ACC record for most 3-pointers without a miss.
Fast forward to Feb. 10 in a rematch against the Tar Heels, and Keatts put Freeman back into the starting lineup. Freeman had another noteworthy outing, scoring 17 points including sinking 5 of 6 from downtown in a losing effort against UNC in PNC Arena.
Getting benched has been the best thing to happen for NC State and Freeman. In the past eight games, Freeman has seen his play improve since his removal and return to the starting five — and the numbers don’t lie.
Freeman has seen both his field goal and 3-point percentage increase, shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from long range.
“He’s been patient, he’s picked his spots,” Keatts said. “He’s become more mature, he’s become a leader. [In] his experience, he’s the only guy that I have on my team that has actually played meaningful basketball this late in February, and I think it’s starting to show.”
The graduate transfer was welcomed to Raleigh as the veteran and supposed replacement for sharpshooter Terry Henderson, especially since Henderson surprisingly was not granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA.
After repeatedly forcing his shot for the majority of the season, Freeman has settled into his role as a deadeye from deep, and it could take the Wolfpack to the next level.
