Freeman showing improvement
Matt Freeman has bounced back from his struggles last season and currently leads Oklahoma in 3-point shooting.
NORMAN — Matt Freeman stayed on the court after OU’s practice Monday, launching corner 3-pointers from the north baseline of Lloyd Noble Center.
The Auckland, New Zealand, native was content after 50 makes.
After falling out of coach Lon Kruger’s rotation late last season, Freeman has reasserted himself thanks to a 54 percent 3-point shooting clip. Freeman is 14 for 26 from three through 10 games. He was 14 for 43 in 26 games last season.
"I'm not gonna lie, I had negative thoughts,” Freeman said. “I think anyone would going through what I went through. You just have to push through and realize it's a long journey."
His playing time dropped to 5.6 minutes in Big 12 play last season as he made just three field goals in 14 conference games.
“My parents were feeling it, too, but I had to tell them, 'Look, I'm dealing with it,'" Freeman said. "They always want to get super involved, and it's like, 'You're halfway around the world. You guys can't really do anything.' At the end of the day I have to know what's right.”
Freeman weighed his options in the offseason, but transferring wasn’t one of them.
“You stay with the people that are familiar with you and know what you're about,” he said. “That's what I did, and it paid off.”
Freeman is up to 13.4 minutes per game this season. His deadeye shooting should be enough to earn him steady playing time, but Kruger pointed to the growth Freeman has made defensively.
The coach rattled off the defensive traits he sees in Freeman: good communicator, good awareness, good angles.
Those haven't always shown to be true.
“Freshman year, I couldn't stay in front of anyone,” Freeman said. “I'm still not perfect by any means, but I've come a long way. I can't be reliant on my three to keep me on the floor.”
The long-range shot will be featured when OU plays Creighton at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Lloyd Noble Center. Freeman leads the Sooners in 3-point shooting, followed by guards Christian James and Aaron Calixte who are hovering near 40 percent.
Creighton is shooting 45 percent from three as a team — the second best mark in the country. Bluejay guards Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock have both made 34 threes this season, combining for a higher number of makes than the entire total of 96 Division-I teams.
“The non-conference portion of our schedule has been good in that it's helped us prepare for a lot of different styles,” Kruger said. “Creighton is one we haven't seen yet.”