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Sports

Freeman Gets a Chance to Impress the Wizards

Former Georgetown star from Mitchellville works out for local NBA team in pre-draft drills and says diabetes will not hinder his pro dream.

Austin Freeman, during his career at  in Hyattsville, went with the school's basketball team to a tournament in Japan in which he helped the Stags claim a title there.

Freeman, who is from Mitchellville and just finished his college career at Georgetown as a senior guard, told Patch on Thursday that is the only foreign basketball trip he has taken. And while Freeman hopes to be drafted by an NBA team June 23, overseas hoops could be in his future.

Freeman said he would consider playing pro basketball, perhaps in Europe, if he does not latch on with an NBA team. "There are a lot of good players over there," Freeman said Thursday, after taking part in pre-draft workouts for the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington.

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His hometown Wizards were the fourth NBA team that Freeman said he has worked out for this spring, including the Spurs and Lakers. "I need to prove that I belong and to do what I can to help any team," he said.

What was it like to work out with his hometown team? "It was a lot of fun, actually," said Freeman, who added he has lost about 20 pounds.

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Freeman, an all-Met at DeMatha when he averaged 23.1 points per game as a senior, hopes to at least get picked in the second round. He was diagnosed with diabetes during his junior season at Georgetown but he said that should not stop a team from drafting him. "It is not effecting me. I have it under control and I can play," he said. "I am just working hard and trying to reach my goal."

Freeman said he has been working out twice a day for the past month and watching his diet while living at home. He said he is working with two trainers, one (Alonzo Ruffin) who is based in Columbia and Chris Cole—who is also working with Nolan Smith—who is from Upper Marlboro and was a senior standout at Duke this past season.

Freeman said the extra training is worth it. "I have to (train hard) if I want to play in this league," he said.

Where does he think he will get drafted? "Anywhere, as long as I get picked," he said. Freeman said he has talked to former Georgetown teammate Greg Monroe about the pre-draft workouts. Monroe played last season for Detroit.

Other former college stars who worked out for the Wizards on Thursday were Mike Davis (Illinois), who is from Alexandria, VA, Talor Battle (Penn State), Justin Hurtt (Tulsa), Ravern Johnson (Mississippi State) and Papa Dia (SMU).

Battle played at Penn State under head coach Ed DeChellis, who took the head job at the U.S. Naval Academy earlier this spring.

Among Washington front office personnel on hand Thursday were president Ernie Grunfeld, head coach Flip Saunders and assistant coaches Sam Cassell, Randy Wittman and Wes Unseld, Jr. Freeman spent a few minutes talking with Grunfeld after workouts ended. Also on hand was director of player programs/scout Ed Tapscott, a former coach at American University and for the Wizards who played in high school at Sidwell Friends.

Freeman said he plans to work out for Cleveland on Friday (June 3) and is also expected to take part in drills for Portland this weekend and then Golden State and Indiana. He is the son of Austin and Edith Bestman Freeman. He was the first player from DeMatha to go to Georgetown in 20 years for hoops.

Freeman graduated last month along with former Hoya teammate , a guard from Bowie.

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