Daily Iowan

Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: File photo/The Daily Iowan [Click to enlarge]

The Tony Freeman saga will be nine days old by the time Hawkeye fans get a chance to hear men's basketball coach Todd Lickliter's side of the story - which ended with the junior guard's abrupt decision to transfer.

Feeling unwanted in Lickliter's eyes and not a good fit for the first-year coach's system-based offensive schemes, the guard has spent the last week searching for possible schools to transfer to. Lickliter, on the other hand, has said little to deflect comments on the way the situation was handled.

That will all change early next week, as Lickliter has scheduled a teleconference for May 12 in which he discuss "Iowa basketball events since the conclusion of the 2008 season," according to a release.

One question that will undoubtedly be raised is the context of Lickliter's one-on-one meeting with Freeman, which the now ex-Hawkeye said was the catalyst in his choice to leave the Iowa basketball program.

"[Lickliter] voiced his opinions about me and about talking back to the referee and that kind of thing," Freeman said. "I was just like, 'Are you serious?' It was more like nitpicking instead of just coming out and telling me that we don't want you."

Playing 22 games last season and fighting a nagging toe injury suffered in a preseason exhibition, Freeman emphasized that it wasn't his lack of talent but rather his fast-paced tempo that didn't quite fit in Lickliter's puzzle.

Now looking for a new place to call home, it is with great caution that Freeman presents his basketball résumé - he averaged 13.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists last season - to possible transfer suitors in need of a point guard.

And although being closer to his native Maywood, Ill., would be a nice incentive for his final season of eligibility, it's not the only factor taken into consideration.

"I don't really think it matters too much - I mean, I'm not a momma's boy or anything," Freeman said. "What it really boils down to is what that team needs, you know, if it's short of guards for a year, if it needs practice players for a year, and then I can have my chance next year.

"More than anything, it's which team wants me for me. With any situation, you want to feel like you're wanted, and that's all it is."

In correspondence with teammate Seth Gorney last weekend, Freeman mentioned that he planned to check interest with Illinois and DePaul, among other schools. And while Freeman wouldn't say if he's spoken with former Iowa coach Steve Alford, who recruited him to Iowa City before leaving for New Mexico, he said he plans to funnel all inquiries through his father and his high-school coach, Gene Pingatore.

"With anything as far as schools, it goes through them first, because obviously, they have a whole lot of contacts," Freeman said. "This last time, I just want to take the process real, real slow and just not rush. It's my last chance at making something of myself. This process, I want it to go slow and do whatever feels right."

E-mail DI Sports Editor Charlie Kautz at:

charles-kautz@uiowa.edu

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools