NJCAA celebrates Black History Month: Jerome Freeman
NJCAA Celebrates Black History Month Photo Gallery
Charlotte, NC - To honor and celebrate Black History Month, each Friday during the month of February, the NJCAA will highlight four former African-American student-athletes who seized their NJCAA opportunity, using it to build towards a revolutionizing career in athletics. The NJCAA's second spotlight series highlights an alumnus who continues to make an impact beyond his college experience. Jerome Freeman, a former student-athlete at NJCAA member college Mineral Area (MO), left a major impact on the athletics community, especially the African American community, as he paved the way for basketball and career opportunities alike.
Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Jerome Freeman spent 1968-70 at Mineral Area in Park Hills, Missouri where he would become the first African American student-athlete to compete for the Cardinals. As the foundation for his academic and athletic career, Freeman attended the school at a time when racial tension was at its highest following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on April 4, 1968. Despite the ongoing uncertainty around the nation, the Freeman had the support and protection of his teammates and his head coach Bob Sechrest, NJCAA Men's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
"The nation was battling the chaos of Martin Luther King's assassination when I was there," Freeman said. "Coach Sechrest really watched out for me. My high school was 90 percent black, and I came here to an all-white area so there were some ups and downs. I learned to adjust. Coach helped me understand how to manage things that were going on. That made me a better person, prepared me to fit in, and taught me how to deal with adversity."
The support received during his two-year stint at Mineral Area shaped Freeman into an even stronger leader. His ability to fight through adversity, obtain an education, and mentor fellow teammates on and off the court was contagious. As a Cardinal, Freeman had a well-rounded rookie campaign before earning All-America honors in his sophomore season. Resulting from much success at the two-year college level, Freeman transferred to the University of Hawaii where he became a member of the "Fabulous Five."
When Freeman stepped on campus in Manoa, the course of Hawaii basketball was changed forever. In his two seasons, the Fighting Deans, now the Rainbow Warriors, carried an astonishing 47-8 record, putting Hawaii on the college basketball map for the first time in program history. In the process, Hawaii earned its first-ever ticket to both the NIT and NCAA tournament, while averaging 91.7 points per game during the 1971-72 campaign, a program record that still holds today. As one of, if not the most popular runs by any sports team in Hawaii's history, the success story brought the state together and was documented in a 2008 movie titled, "The Fabulous Five: the story of the fabulous years".
Upon graduating from Hawaii in 1972, Freeman served in a player-coach role for a semi-professional team in the Netherlands, where he continued to excel on the court, earning both Coach of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors in the same season.
Through his career, Freeman and his Hawaii teammates built lasting relationships as one of the first basketball teams with five African American starters. Since then, hurdles continue to be conquered and Freeman's early success and contributions to the Mineral Area community have earned recognition. In 2018, Freeman was inducted into the Mineral Area College Sports Hall of Fame, surrounded by his former teammates and assistant head coach. Freeman currently still resides in Hawaii, where he works in the security industry.
Follow @NJCAABasketball Follow @NJCAA
To view the full series, visit: NJCAA celebrates Black History Month: A Four-Week Series