Kobe has been on fire to start the grassroots circuits. Scoring in double-digits in every game he has played so far, he has been one of, if not the, most impressive lead guards in Oklahoma. Kobe is a three-level scorer who pushes the pace and is able to create open looks for himself as well as others. Starting off his grassroots season at the Grind Region Kick Off by averaging 22.5 points per game across his first four outings, Kobe has been extremely impressive with no signs of slowing down.

Freeman continued his offensive assault with averages of over 20 points a game and a 3-1 mark on the weekend for the Wolfpack. In a Sunday morning win he was on fire from three. It wasn’t just pull up threes or shooting off of ball screens, the Purcell Dragon continues to be confident to get off the ball and relocate to open spots along the perimeter.  And it’s more than just shooting that makes him a must watch prospect. He’s shifty and speedy with the ball in his hands, which combined with the gravity his range brings makes him one of the toughest covers in the state.  He even showed some impressive hops for a smaller guard when he had a chase down block in transition, then went coast to coast for a score. Freeman is a “box office” player in Oklahoma, with a complete game and swagger that is reminiscent of past recent smaller guards who have had collegiate success, Ty Frierson and Adante Holiman.

After Freeman led his Wolfpack squad to a 3-0 mark on the weekend, the Purcell guard was named MVP of the 17U Divison by The Circuit’s official site.  He’s one of the most polished lead guards in Oklahoma’s rising junior class.  Especially from a scoring standpoint, where he filled it up from all over the court. Freeman is a dead eye from beyond the arc, with strong off the dribble shooting ability. Which helps open up his driving capabilities. Where he’s equally as likely to drop a nice feed to a teammate at the rim, kick-out to a shooter or stop on the dime in the mid-range with a jumpe/floater over out stretched arms.  It was a strong start to what should be an impressive summer. Freeman is a quick guard who will turn the heads of college coaches who are willing to take chances on smaller guards.

Freeman’s first step often gave him an edge against the waves of pressure that Bridge Creek applied on him. There’s times it looked like the defenders were in good positions, but if Freeman is even with a defender, he’s leaving.  He continues to be a very good finisher for a smaller guard, but also has some moments of being a potential teammate elevator with his unselfish passing.  The junior rifled it out to shooters and tried to fit tight window passes to teammates around the rim.  One of the more advanced passing moves came when it looked like he would go into a shot form 15-18 feet out. But instead he dropped a pinpoint bounce pass to a wide open cutting teammate. Freeman rightfully takes a lot of shots of his own creation, especially with the way he pushes it, but him keeping an eye on the bigger picture of being a point guard is a good longterm sign.

From the opening tip, Freeman pushed the tempo and found ways to take advantage of the Pirates’ defense. He has that lead guard knack of being able to push it off defensive rebounds and even able to push it off makes from the opposition.  In the opening frame he lived in the lane, with points at the rim and creating for teammates with his drives.  The junior does an outstanding job of being able to manipulate the defense by initiating contact and similar traits that allows smaller guards to succeed against giants.

Eventually, Byng was able to slow down the breakneck pace that Freeman played at. But he still continued to do damage with threes and finding spots in the congested halfcourt.  Generally he’s an outstanding ballhandler, who seemingly always plays under control But he did have a few rare mistakes late where he tried to do a little too much down the stretch. One played involved a turnover when he attempted to split a double team. And another where he went baseline and his passing attempt got walled off, and deflected. The second in particular will be an interesting watch since the passing windows will be tighter at the next level.

Still, Freeman has an unflappable playing style and even drilled an off the dribble three in the final minute that tied up the game.  He also had a chance to tie it late from deep, but didn’t get as clean of a look as he did the possession before and missed it.  The junior finished with a game high 27 points.

One aspect really separates Freeman from other small town guards. He does NOT dribble the air out of the ball. His dribbles come with purpose, and most importantly he’s willing to get off the ball quickly.  That unselfish nature means not only does he set up his teammates for good looks, Freeman can get efficient looks himself.  The junior actually does some of his best work when running off the ball, and sneaking open for catch and shoot threes.

In the game against Madill, he got to go against some post players with solid size.  Which was an opportunity for him to show off some strong, diverse finishing at the rim. He has a floater game and had one great switch hand finish in transition that stood out.

Purcell has had an up and down start to their season, but a recent blowout win could set the stage for a big January with a pair of in-season tournaments on tap.