Less than 2 months after being bypassed on NBA Draft night, former Georgetown Hoya stand-out Austin Freeman has been arrested for DUI and numerous other traffic violations including speeding and reckless driving for an early morning joyride that has serious consequences that may derail a future in pro basketball overseas.
News has just become available that Freeman went on an early morning joyride on a Washington D.C. highway, only 2 days after the NBA Draft, and was pulled over for erratic driving in addition to being clocked going 71 mph – in a 55mph zone. After being asked to exit his car, Freeman failed a sobriety test, and was cited for failure to produce a vehicle registration, negligent driving for endangering property, life, and person, and reckless driving for willful disregard for safety of persons and property, in addition to DUI and speeding offenses.
The charges come at an inopportune time as Austin just recently signed on to play for Fulger Libertas in the Italian leagues after not catching on with the Washington Wizards in a pre Lockout tryout. If convicted, Freeman could face up to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine, and a 45 day suspension of his drivers license for the DUI alone, per Prince Georges County, Maryland law.
He was ranked one of the best high school players in the country back in 2007, garnering McDonalds All American honors before starring for the Hoyas for 4 seasons in the nation’s capitol. He even finished 3rd, behind Blake Griffin and Michael Beasley in the very entertaining 2007 McDonalds All American Game Dunk Contest.
Freeman had a slightly disappointing senior campaign(17.6 ppg, 3.7 rebs) by his standards after returning from a diabetes scare that surely left his Hoya teammates more worried about his health rather than advancing in the NCAA Tournament. Many argued that the 6’4 shooting guard should have kept his name in the 2010 NBA Draft after averaging nearly 17 ppg, shooting 45 % on threes, and leading the Hoyas on another deep NCAA Tournament run that reached the Sweet 16.
Nonetheless, I wonder what Austin thinks about his former Hoya teammates getting involved in a WWE type melee during an exhibition game on a tour of China?
Check out some Austin Freman highlights at Georgetown:
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
