Freshman guard Brayon Freeman told reporters Saturday that he committed to Rhode Island for the 2022-23 season, according to a tweet by ESPN recruitment analyst and basketball insider Adam Finkelstein.
Freeman announced his intent to transfer on March 22, coinciding with senior forward Ricky Lindo Jr.’s announcement. The decision marks the second commitment this week after sophomore guard Joe Bamisile announced his commitment to Oklahoma on Wednesday.
“I will develop in a good way, definitely,” Freeman said in an interview Tuesday. “They love basketball there and they love the basketball culture so the basketball environment is constantly developing.”
Freeman said there was no specific reason he left GW but he was looking for coaches he could rely on for his next season. Freeman said he would miss being close to his family and having them attend his games but sees this opportunity as a way to continue developing his game.
Freeman, a three-star recruit and one of the top 30 point guards during his signing, averaged a .433 shooting percentage in just his first season. He was named to the All-Rookie squad after rounding out his debut campaign with an average of 10 points per game, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Freeman became the first GW rookie since the 2003-04 season to contribute at least 100 assists in one season, a title which previously belonged to 2006 graduate Carl Elliot. Freeman ranked in the top 15 A-10 rookies overall in the league and second in the assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
Freeman set an 18-point ascension with seven assists during the A-10 tournament where the team achieved their highest seed in five years as the seventh seed before bowing out in the second round against Massachusetts.
“They made me feel like family when I went on my visit and I really liked the campus,” Freeman said.