St. John’s Red Storm coach Rick Pitino has several plans for his team and has steadily prepared with the moves he has made in the offseason. In the 2025-26 campaign, Pitino and his team reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, but were eliminated by the Duke Blue Devils. This year, Pitino wants his team to go further. One of the moves he made to improve his roster was to recruit Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman.
Freeman, who placed his name in the transfer portal, announced his commitment to the Red Storm back in late April. Since then, he has been practicing and learning under the tutelage of Pitino and his staff. Unfortunately for the St. John’s faithful, Pitino announced on X/Twitter that Freeman has suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury. Fortunately, though, the tenured tactician revealed that Freeman had undergone successful surgery.
College basketball fans and spectators bring out their sympathy for coach Pitino, Freeman, and the rest of the St. John’s program.
“Awful news for this young man. Second hand PTSD as a UK fan with all the injuries we’ve dealt with in recent years. Get well soon!,” one fan said.
“Wow, that is awful. I feel so bad for Donnie Freeman and St. John’s,” another fan shared.
“As much as it stings as a SJU fan, imagine how frustrated he must be along with teammates & coaches. Let’s hope he gets back to 100%,” a fan wrote.
Other users all over X/Twitter discuss the outlook for the Red Storm in the short-term with Freeman out.
“We will need another big, no doubt,” one fan claimed.
“How does an injury like this play with his NIL money ? Do we have that to use that now, got to be insured !,” another fan pointed out.
“Dr. O’Malley repaired Kevin Durant’s Achilles. Donnie is in good hands. No worries,” a fan posted.
Freeman will have entered his third year of collegiate hoops this season. He has spent the last couple of years playing for the Orangemen, where he averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in around 29.0 minutes per game. The Red Storm have yet to announce a timeline for Freeman’s return, but Achilles heel injuries usually take 10 to 12 months to recover from.
Donnie Freeman’s belief in Rick Pitino led him to transfer to the St. John’s Red Storm
Coach Rick Pitino is perhaps the most tenured coach in all of college basketball today. For a career spanning over five decades, both in college and in the NBA, Pitino is as timeless as a coach can be. This is why several players still trust that his coaching caliber can help them reach their goals. This is no different for Donnie Freeman, who told 24/7 Sports that when he announced his commitment, he believed in Pitino.
“I realized it was time to leave Syracuse during the coaching change. I played under a great coach for two years, and when they moved on from him, I realized I had to do what was best for me. I believe in what Rick Pitino is doing. He is a high-level coach, and I believe he can get me to the next point in my career,” Freeman was quoted as saying.
Also Read:
Donnie Freeman’s Main Reason Behind St. John’s Commitment Revealed as Mark Pope Faces Blow
“Refused to Take a Penny”: Rick Pitino Breaks Silence as St. John’s Interim GM Departs
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