Freeman Joins SMU Hoops Squad
Dec 11 | Men's Basketball
DALLAS (SMU) -- Football standout Johnnie Freeman has joined the SMU men's basketball team, Head Coach Mike Dement announced Tuesday, Dec. 11.
Freeman, a 5-11 junior, averaged 25 points per game as a junior and 21 ppg as a senior at Crosby (Texas) High School, where he was a four-year letterman on the hardwood. He has scored 10 touchdowns for the Mustangs on the gridiron and will give SMU another athletic player on the perimeter.
"We had talked to Johnnie about joining the team in the past, but things just didn't work out," said Dement. "While he hasn't played with our team before, he is a guy that some of our players have played with and we're glad to have him with us."
Also on Tuesday, it was announced that freshman guard Brian Miller is suffering from a herniated disc in his back at the L5-S1 position. Miller will have surgery as soon as possible and is likely to seek a medical redshirt.
"We're certainly disappointed for Brian," Dement said. "He had played well until he started to suffer some real pain in his back and probably wasn't at full strength since the start of practice. His condition had worsened over the last few games, which forced us to hold him out of our last two contests. We had hoped it wasn't as serious, but it became apparent that surgery was needed. We liked him out at the two-guard position, and with his loss, it becomes even more important that Damon (Hancock), Quinton (Ross), Kris (Lowe) and Justin (Isham) stay healthy."
Dement also announced that junior guard Peter McNulty has left the squad. McNulty, a junior college transfer from Dallas, appeared in SMU's first preseason game before re-injuring a knee that had bothered him in high school. After returning to practice, McNulty, a walk-on, re-aggravated the knee and decided to focus on his studies.
"Peter tweaked his knee again in practice and decided that it would be best if he left the team to concentrate on his studies," Dement said. "We wish him the best."
