Owen Freeman Highlights & Updates (2023 Commit). His Nickname is "The Big O."
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
These are highlights from last weekend's semifinal game. This is one of the few times some of the bad is shown. Nevertheless, Brock Harding is an assist machine and you can see the chemistry he has with Owen.
Watch here:
Watch here:
I love Harding's ability to handle the basketball and especially his passing......and he's pretty athletic/quick. Like others, I think he might be a steal in the recruiting wars. Great addition to the team/roster.
You can see where Harding may struggle with the quick, stronger guards he might see in the B10 and be caught reaching on drives a lot. Guards can just body him on the drive and rise up over him on the finish even in the mid-range and he can't do much about it other than reach. He's a lot quicker than Bohannon with a better vertical but he's actually smaller than Bohannon both in height and weight so allowing penetration will be a big problem for him as he can't do much once they turn the corner, as will handling the pick and roll. But he can't sag off PG's too much either because they can shoot over him pretty easily.
Other than that he shows a ton of skill on the offensive end and even the quick guards seem to give him some space to deny the drive. That is where honing his deep 3 point shooting capability will be key so that they can't give him that space. He's probably solid in that area right now, but if he can take it to good or great then he will be a very tough matchup on that end for other teams.
Other than that he shows a ton of skill on the offensive end and even the quick guards seem to give him some space to deny the drive. That is where honing his deep 3 point shooting capability will be key so that they can't give him that space. He's probably solid in that area right now, but if he can take it to good or great then he will be a very tough matchup on that end for other teams.
I agree that this shows up right now.....but, he should be able to add strength and weight in college and mitigate those issues to a degree.
Maybe - his frame isn't very big to begin with. Makes me wonder how much weight/strength Bohannon added from HS. Did he add 15 lbs or so? I'm sure with S&C there is some improvement.
My example would be how Harding would defend a Joe Touissant type guard who could shoot the 3. I would think Joe could get by him much like #4 did in the video just because he could bully him physically as he would turn the corner. Every dribble drive has that moment where the defender either gets his hips in front to flatten out the drive into his help defender teammate on the opposite side of the driving lane, or they don't. It is at this critical point where a physical guard would drive into Harding and he would have to open his hips or would be knocked back, giving the space needed to get past the help defenders and into the lane. Once there, Harding would be limited to reaching/stripping the ball like Bohannon as he couldn't do much else.
I'm talking about this too much already, so we'll see where it goes. I'm very high on Harding like you are, this is just the one piece that could determine his amount of playing time in his career. Zones and other options can cover some of this up, but he should be better than Bohannon in any case due to much better footspeed and agility.
I would expect Iowa would play a lot of zone when Harding is in there. In the past we have played some 1-2-2 or 3-2. It will be a challenge for him to stop a big guard from driving him. But the coaches will work with him on beating his man to a spot. He’ll get a lot better and somewhat bigger/stronger. He is said to be a very hard worker which will be the difference maker for him.
If he could learn to act, I mean flop, er take charges like Brad Davison he could be plenty pesky.
To be totally fair to Harding, a Joe Toussaint type of guard who could shoot the three is an All Big Ten player. Very few would be capable of defending that
Dan, unless he's only playing Estherville in these games Brock is not 5'10". He's clearly over 6' and looks more like 6'2". Way bigger than Dasonte. Way quicker and more athletic that Jordan. Has a nice shot and an ability to beat his man into the middle-where Brock is also a good scorer and passer. Thinking steal
#4 in red who Brock was guarding in the video is listed at 6'3. Brock looks like a solid 2 inches shorter than him to me--tough to tell exactly through video since most of the time they're next to each other they're down in a stance.
Let ol Joe dribble too deep into defensive sets like usual. He was and never will be All B1G. JT was a turnover waiting to happen.
He's definitely not bigger than Dasonte. By a lot.
"I can’t think of many other PG’s I watched this summer that play with Harding’s type of pace."
"[Freeman] was just too big at times for the opposition, demanding constant attention in the paint."
Nice story.
2022 NY2LA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION - 17U & 16U CHAMPIONS REVIEW
Trent Markwith — National Contributing Editor - NY2LASPORTS.COM
July 29, 2022
The 2022 travel season wrapped up last weekend and I finished my summer in Wisconsin for the last day of the Final Chapter where NY2LA Association teams competed for championships, along with programs in the open divisions and multiple showcase games. The semifinals and championship matchups were as good as you could have asked for with exciting back & forth battles. In this piece, I’ll go over the NY2LA Association Champions from the 16U & 17U levels, the Wisconsin Blizzard and MidPro Academy.
17U MidPro Academy
2 July Live Periods, 2 Championships for MidPro as they came out on top at both Best Of The South and The Final Chapter to claim the NY2LA Association Title. This MidPro group might have been my favorite team to watch over the last 4 months and given their success over the last few summers, it was fitting that they ended it with another championship. What has stuck out to me with them is their ability to win both close games and games where they might not be having the best offensive outing. The final of this championship game was 51-48, defeating the Wisconsin Swing after facing a deficit for the majority of the contest.
Each of the MidPro guys knows & understands their role, accepts it, and excels in it.
Against the Swing, Brock Harding led the way with his trademark playmaking, stepping up in the 2nd half particularly. He connected on 4 3’s for the game, including the game-winning triple at the buzzer, along with orchestrating everything & helping MidPro to get on track after a slow 1st half. I can’t think of many other PG’s I watched this summer that play with Harding’s type of pace.
Fellow Iowa commit Owen Freeman also had a productive day in their 2 games. He was just too big at times for the opposition, demanding constant attention in the paint. The Swing did do a good job of limiting him & placing their defense so his touches weren’t easy, but this helped to free up teammates and Freeman still ended up with close to a double-double.
Although the championship game wasn’t as productive as others during the weekend, overall, Danny Stephens showed once again why he’s an under-recruited prospect who deserves more attention. He came through with a 20-point performance in their Final 4 win and has gotten the job done whenever I watched a MidPro game. Stephens is an efficient 3-point shooter from the wings & corners, brings strength & toughness inside, and hardly need any dribbles to score. Zach Hawkinson and Justin Page fit this label also; they’re guys who should not be forgotten as we enter the fall and are worth getting another look at with their high school programs.
ny2lasports.com
"[Freeman] was just too big at times for the opposition, demanding constant attention in the paint."
Nice story.
2022 NY2LA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION - 17U & 16U CHAMPIONS REVIEW
Trent Markwith — National Contributing Editor - NY2LASPORTS.COM
July 29, 2022
The 2022 travel season wrapped up last weekend and I finished my summer in Wisconsin for the last day of the Final Chapter where NY2LA Association teams competed for championships, along with programs in the open divisions and multiple showcase games. The semifinals and championship matchups were as good as you could have asked for with exciting back & forth battles. In this piece, I’ll go over the NY2LA Association Champions from the 16U & 17U levels, the Wisconsin Blizzard and MidPro Academy.
17U MidPro Academy
2 July Live Periods, 2 Championships for MidPro as they came out on top at both Best Of The South and The Final Chapter to claim the NY2LA Association Title. This MidPro group might have been my favorite team to watch over the last 4 months and given their success over the last few summers, it was fitting that they ended it with another championship. What has stuck out to me with them is their ability to win both close games and games where they might not be having the best offensive outing. The final of this championship game was 51-48, defeating the Wisconsin Swing after facing a deficit for the majority of the contest.
Each of the MidPro guys knows & understands their role, accepts it, and excels in it.
Against the Swing, Brock Harding led the way with his trademark playmaking, stepping up in the 2nd half particularly. He connected on 4 3’s for the game, including the game-winning triple at the buzzer, along with orchestrating everything & helping MidPro to get on track after a slow 1st half. I can’t think of many other PG’s I watched this summer that play with Harding’s type of pace.
Fellow Iowa commit Owen Freeman also had a productive day in their 2 games. He was just too big at times for the opposition, demanding constant attention in the paint. The Swing did do a good job of limiting him & placing their defense so his touches weren’t easy, but this helped to free up teammates and Freeman still ended up with close to a double-double.
Although the championship game wasn’t as productive as others during the weekend, overall, Danny Stephens showed once again why he’s an under-recruited prospect who deserves more attention. He came through with a 20-point performance in their Final 4 win and has gotten the job done whenever I watched a MidPro game. Stephens is an efficient 3-point shooter from the wings & corners, brings strength & toughness inside, and hardly need any dribbles to score. Zach Hawkinson and Justin Page fit this label also; they’re guys who should not be forgotten as we enter the fall and are worth getting another look at with their high school programs.
2022 NY2LA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION - 17U & 16U CHAMPIONS REVIEW
We are getting a couple of good ones from Moline High School.
Lots of praise for Owen & Brock in this story.
BY ILLINOISHOOPPROSPECTS
AAU is over for high schoolers, so we’re releasing awards for the month of July. These are only based on the summer AAU season games. For this set of awards, we are grouping players by graduating class, even if they played up a level.
illinoishoopprospects.com
Lots of praise for Owen & Brock in this story.
Summer AAU Awards: 17U
AUGUST 2, 2022BY ILLINOISHOOPPROSPECTS
AAU is over for high schoolers, so we’re releasing awards for the month of July. These are only based on the summer AAU season games. For this set of awards, we are grouping players by graduating class, even if they played up a level.
All-Summer Top Performer Teams
1st Team
Ahmad Henderson (5’11 PG, Brother Rice/Young & Reckless)
Henderson led a deep Y&R team with his explosive scoring, high-IQ facilitating, and fearlessness. He made the game easy for his teammates and proved why so many D1 programs were after him. Henderson just committed to Niagara earlier today.Bobby Durkin (6’7 SG, Glenard West & IMG Academy/Breakaway)
One of the most skilled players in the UAA in July, Durkin was able to showcase his creativity and shot making ability on a big stage. He picked up mid and high major looks on his way to leading Breakaway to the UAA Invitational championship.Brock Harding (6’0 PG, Moline/MidPro)
Orchestrating for one of the most dominant 17U groups in Illinois, Harding was able to get everyone involved while picking his spots to get his own shots. The Iowa commit put his vision and floor general skills on full display.Dalen Davis (6’0 PG, Whitney Young/Meanstreets)
Davis put together a huge month as the catalyst for a nice run in the EYBL for Meanstreets. Physically and mentally tough with advanced feel for the game, Davis contributed across the board while leading a team full of Division 1 talent in scoring.Owen Freeman (6’11 C, Moline/MidPro)
Big men aren’t supposed to be as mobile and skilled as Freeman. Even against top competition, his low post footwork, ability to make plays as a short roll option, and impact on the glass stood out. Another Iowa commit with a bright future.Summer AAU Awards: 17U - Illinois Hoop Prospects
Standouts players, top defenders, shooters and more awards from the July AAU period in Illinois.
illinoishoopprospects.com
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