By Javon Freeman-Liberty is arguably the best player on DePaul’s men’s basketball team. He is currently in his senior year and he, despite being one of the oldest players on the team, has been the best player on the team since he joined in May of 2020.
Throughout his career, most of the games Freeman-Liberty has played in, he has been the highest-scoring player on DePaul’s team, sometimes the highest-scoring player in the game. For this season alone he has accumulated 338 points, averaging about 21 points per game. His highest point accumulation in a game was when DePaul played Villanova on Jan. 8, he scored 34 points, marking his career-high.
Freeman-Liberty has been a vital resource for the team, not only as a skilled player but also in his enthusiasm. His character is lively and any viewer, even those who don’t know much about the game, can tell he is passionate about the game. Despite being a star player, Freeman-Liberty consistently plays like a teammate rather than the top player. He may have plenty of points racked up, but he isn’t a ball hog. He plays with the intent to make his team feel like a team, not a bunch of chosen individuals playing together.
With all of these characteristics in mind, not to mention the skill that has been apparent and ever-improving since his start at DePaul, it makes sense why head coach Tony Stubblefield plays Freeman-Liberty for a majority of the games. Freeman-Liberty has played for a total of 558 minutes this season, playing for an average of about 33 minutes per game. For context, there are about 40 minutes in an NCAA men’s basketball game.
The skill, mindset, and apparent devotion to the sport that Freeman-Liberty has to make him the best player DePaul have right now on the men’s team. Freeman-Liberty is one of the only players on the team that is trusted to play for as long as he does and makes as many shots as he does. He is trusted by his teammates and coaches because he has proven himself worthy of being a leader for the team both inside of practice and during the game. Even off the court, he continues to cheer on his teammates, showing his willingness to be a team player rather than an individual playing with other players.
Ultimately, with being one of the best players on the team, nonetheless one of the best in the conference, there is the question of if Freeman-Liberty should be playing for more accomplished schools like the University of Connecticut or for a BIG10 school like Purdue University or Baylor University. Freeman-Liberty has been the glue that holds DePaul’s men’s team together for the past two years, and in the past, there would be suggestion that the team did not deserve a player that was as good as Freeman-Liberty due to the lack of leadership as a coaching staff, but with Stubblefield coaching as well as he has this season, the team deserves to have players that match the level of coaching. For now, and as long as Stubblefield keeps coaching well-enough to have a team thriving and beginning to win more than in the past, Freeman-Liberty and other good players like Brandon Johnson should remain at DePaul.
Players that have a strong passion for the game, a strong skill set, and a positive perception of teamwork should stay in a program if they are bettering it, especially if the team and coaches make them want to continue playing the sport. As long as those aspects are in order, the players should stay with the program they are in. DePaul deserves players as strong as Freeman-Liberty, and they should continue using him as a role model for future generations of Blue Demons.
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