St. John's forward Donnie Freeman will miss the upcoming basketball season after suffering an Achilles injury during a workout, head coach Rick Pitino announced Wednesday.
Freeman, a transfer from Syracuse, underwent successful Achilles tendon surgery. Pitino shared the news via his X account, stating that Freeman sustained the injury in a non-contact incident and is expected to miss the entire season. Pitino expressed confidence in Freeman's recovery, writing, "Donnie is an awesome young man, we will get him back better than ever!"
The sophomore forward committed to St. John's in April and was a highly anticipated addition to the Red Storm. 247Sports ranked Freeman as the 15th-best prospect in the transfer portal this year. He was a top 10 recruit in the 2024 class.
During his sophomore season at Syracuse, Freeman averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, earning honorable mention All-ACC honors. As a freshman, he averaged 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds but played in only 14 games due to a foot fracture.
Freeman chose St. John's over Kentucky after entering the transfer portal this offseason. He was expected to be a starter for the Red Storm, who were ranked eighth in ESPN's Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings for the 2026-27 season.
The injury occurred days before the team was scheduled to report for offseason workouts. Freeman was among several players who had arrived early to begin training.
Freeman was slated to be a key component of St. John's frontcourt, which saw significant departures in Zuby Ejiofor, Dillon Mitchell, and Bryce Hopkins, all of whom were selected in the NBA draft. Ejiofor was the Big East Player of the Year last season.
The loss of Freeman is expected to make St. John's path to contending for their third consecutive regular-season Big East title more challenging. Last season, the Red Storm reached the Sweet 16, finishing with a 28-6 record and earning a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
St. John's also added Tounde Yessoufou from Baylor, Kyle Cuffe Jr. from Mercer, and Avery Brown from Columbia through the transfer portal this offseason.