BARBER: Mark Freeman Driving Dukes in Quest for Sun Belt Title

By Mike Barber
JMUSports.com Correspondent

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Mark Freeman didn't play a minute of college basketball in the 2023-24 season. Still, it was one of the busiest and most significant times of his life.

That's because, just days after suffering an October wrist injury that would sideline him for Morehead State's year, Freeman found out his girlfriend was pregnant.

"Being a father, being a parent, that's bigger than basketball," Freeman said this week. "It took my mind off that 100% and had me in a better head space."

Freeman, now starring for James Madison, had never suffered a major injury and never undergone surgery. He was, at the time, the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and a big reason why Morehead State was picked to win the league.

When he fractured his wrist in a pick-up game with teammates just a month before the season tipped off, Freeman's world was rocked. He said he struggled to sleep at night and kept awake – in part – because of the frustration of not being able to play.

"He had so many things on his plate," Preston Spradlin, Freeman's coach then at Morehead and now at JMU, said. "Looking back on it, it was a blessing in disguise that that injury occurred because it allowed him to focus on all those other areas."

Freeman developed more of a voice as a leader for the team while working to finish his degree and preparing for his son's birth in June.

When the season ended, Freeman faced one more pivotal moment. He put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. After two years at Morehead, preceded by one at Illinois State, and two at Tennessee State, the Memphis native was looking for one final college go-around.

Spradlin supported the decision and Freeman almost immediately heard from dozens of major schools interested in adding him to their roster.

Then, just a few days later, Spradlin accepted the position at JMU.

Freeman visited Harrisonburg not long after Spradlin arrived in town himself. He was the coach's first recruiting target.

"He was showing me the campus and he was figuring out new things for himself, too," Freeman said.

Ultimately, it wasn't a tough call to elect to follow Spradlin to JMU, Freeman – nicknamed 'Swagg' – said. The two had forged a strong bond during their two years together, which was only strengthened by Spradlin's continued support during the trying 2023-24 season.

"It's like two peas in a pod," said Eddie Ricks III, a Morehead teammate of Freeman's who also transferred to keep playing for Spradlin with the Dukes. "They get along together. They have a relationship where they can talk about anything together. Coach P can tell when Swagg's not okay, and Swag can tell when P's not okay."

For the Dukes, the duo has been more than okay.

Freeman started the first 20 games of the season and played well as he adjusted to his teammates and worked himself back into form coming off his injury. But it's been over the past seven games – coming off the bench – that he's really begun to look like the star player he was at Morehead.

"This guy's playing the best basketball of his career," Spradlin said. "We're playing our best basketball of the season. And he's coming off the bench and not caring about all that stuff. For him to put our team first has really had an incredible impact on our team's success."

Freeman has averaged 21.1 points per game over the last seven outings and the Dukes are 6-1 in that stretch, their lone loss coming at Toledo in the MAC-SBC Challenge. With seven straight Sun Belt victories, JMU (17-10, 10-4) goes into Thursday's home game against Georgia State tied for first place in the league.

"This is the most comfortable I've felt since coming back from my injury," said Freeman, who leads the Dukes in scoring and assists. "It takes a little time to get back to being myself, get back in the groove. I'm getting back to myself and we're winning. That's all I care about. We're winning."

Ricks III said having a son has given Freeman even more to play for when he steps on the court these days.

"He has a chip on his shoulder because, now, he has someone he's doing it for," Ricks said. "He's doing it for his family. He's doing it for his son."

Freeman and his girlfriend, Serah, share an apartment off campus where they're raising their son, who turns two this summer. Freeman credits Serah with helping him navigate fatherhood and college basketball simultaneously.

And, he said, having a family to come to keeps everything else in perspective.

"Every day's not going to be great for you," Freeman said. "But you come home, see your little one, you forget about everything."

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