Binghamton men’s basketball forward Brian Freeman will graduate in May and won’t return to the team in 2013-14, according to head coach Tommy Dempsey. Freeman, who transferred to Binghamton from Harcum College last summer after spending two years at Fordham, has one more year of collegiate eligibility.
Freeman’s departure affords Binghamton an additional scholarship for 2013-14.
The NCAA allows graduates with one remaining year of eligibility to transfer and play immediately if they enroll in a graduate program not offered by their previous school. Dempsey said he believes Freeman will seek to take advantage of this rule.
In his one and only season with the Bearcats, Freeman played sparingly until the end of January, when he emerged as an inside presence for Dempsey. The junior reached double figures in scoring four times in the final 11 games while grabbing five or more rebounds six times during that stretch.
Freeman will be missed down low next season, as the Bearcats will be relatively thin inside. Junior forwards Alex Ogundadegbe and Roland Brown will return for BU, but as Freeman emerged late, Dempsey clearly favored him over Ogundadegbe and Brown.
Binghamton did receive commitments from 6-foot-7-inch Magnus Richards and 6-foot-9-inch Nick Madray, but neither incoming freshman is a true post player.
Freeman is the second Bearcat to leave the program this season, after junior guard K.J. Brown left the team in December.