Prospect Spotlight: Tyem Freeman (2019)
SPRINGFIELD — Hillcrest 2019 guard Tyem Freeman continues to grow — both literally and figuratively. As an eighth-grader, Freeman was just 5-foot-8, and going into his freshman season he was 6-foot-2. He has since grown to 6-foot-6 and become one…
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Continue ReadingSPRINGFIELD — Hillcrest 2019 guard Tyem Freeman continues to grow — both literally and figuratively.
As an eighth-grader, Freeman was just 5-foot-8, and going into his freshman season he was 6-foot-2. He has since grown to 6-foot-6 and become one of the top prospects in the Springfield area.
He can handle the ball on the perimeter, shoot the 3 and even thrown down the occasional slam dunk.
“I would say I’m most of a slasher,” Freeman said. “Really looking to attack and not settle. I consider myself a grinder who never stops working.”
He has spent the spring competing for MoKan Elite’s 15U squad and says the step up in competition has helped his game grow.
“Playing with MoKan Elite has really improved my game a lot and the experience of going places I’ve never been,” he said. “It is fun and better competition. So I will be more experienced this winter.
“I’ve worked mainly on my jump shot and ball handling because those are the things I struggled with last year, and want to expand my game more.”
A year ago, Freeman split his time between JV and varsity. He started the season mostly playing on the junior varsity, but by the end of the season had become one of the Hornets’ most important players.
“It was very fun and competitive,” Freeman said. “This upcoming year will be good because I’m used to that level of competition and I’m looking forward to showing people how much my game has grown.”
With several key players returning, Hillcrest is poised for a rebound season just two years removed from competing for a state championship.
“We look excellent I think with Tim Washington, Shahn Clark, Cole Pryor, and myself playing again with each other,” Freeman said. “The biggest difference from last year we didn’t have a team chemistry so we didn’t know how one another played and we were out of sync. This June was important because it showed our toughness and what we can do on the court.”
Freeman said Douglas Shockley and his uncle, Anthony Tolliver have been the biggest influences on his basketball game to date.
“(Shockley) has been with me from the start and he taught me how to be a basketball player and getting me ready for this type of competition,” Freeman said.