Everyone had left The Convo by the time Tommy Freeman came back out onto the court after Ohio’s game against Central Michigan. He carried four basketballs to the hoop, set up the gun — a shot return machine — underneath it, plugged an iPod into a speaker system and began shooting away.
It didn’t matter that he had only played one minute in the Bobcats’ win that night because the late-night practice is routine for the freshman, who takes to the court alone two to three times a week, depending on the team’s schedule.
“When it comes time for me to step in there, I want to show what I can do,” said Freeman, who, like many underclass athletes, lives on West Green, making it easy for him to shoot around whenever he needs to clear his head.
“I try to work on some individual stuff that we don’t always have time to go over in practice,” Freeman said. “At home (in Muncie, Ind.) we had a goal in our barn, and I’d always walk out to the barn to put shots up. It’s a time where I can reflect back and think on whatever’s bothering me. I can escape from school or whatever by going to the gym and working on my game.”
Free throw after free throw, the clang of the gun echoes among the empty seats. Then, with a flick of a switch, he starts taking 3-pointers as the machine guides him along the arc.
Those 3-point shot skills and Freeman’s overall shooting ability were the first things that caught the eye of Ohio and its fan base, and it’s also what has helped make him a threat when he gets a chance to come off the bench.
“He’s really been an understudy to Bubba (Walther) this year in a lot of ways,” coach Tim O’Shea said. “I think he understands that Bubba’s a senior and his opportunity will come a bit more next year than this year, but you never know. When Bubba was out, Tommy came in and gave the team a big lift.”
Freeman hadn’t seen more than five minutes in a game since mid-December, when he played 16 minutes and scored 13 points in a win at Buffalo and helped fill the void left by the then-injured Walther.
When Bert Whittington IV and Mike Allen were limited by injuries this past weekend, Freeman played a season-high 26 minutes against Northern Illinois, and he and Walther each scored three 3-pointers in the first half.
“Bubba’s really taken me under his wing and has showed me the ropes,” said Freeman, who added three rebounds, four assists and drew four charges against the Huskies.
“Having an older guy there to help you through the rough days of practices when you keep messing up and you can’t seem to do anything right, that really helps.”
If injuries continue to hamper Ohio’s regular starting guards tonight at Eastern Michigan, O’Shea’s glad to have the Bobcats’ depth, including Freeman, who’s proven that he’s willing to work to be ready at a moment’s notice.
“Coach O’Shea just tells us to be ready,” Freeman said. “And you never know what circumstances might arise. Everybody wants to play more, but I know the team supports me, and that makes it easier.”
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