WILLIAMSTON — He’s 6-feet-8-inches tall, 230 pounds and averaged 15.6 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks a game to lead the Riverside Knights to the NCHSAA 1-A East Regional semifinals this season. However, despite the gaudy statistics, junior center Marcus Freeman is just scratching the surface of his potential.

In just his first year of varsity basketball, Freeman was a major factor on both ends of the court and posted those numbers despite at times being the third option on a guard-orientated basketball team. That alone speaks volumes about what kind of player Freeman is now and what he can be next season.

Freeman’s star teammates, senior swingman Tremaine Anderson and junior guard Ramelle Lanier, each had phenomenal seasons but the consistent nightly impact of Freeman elevated him above the competition and enabled him to become the Washington Daily News Basketball Player of the Year.

A true team player, Freeman could have demanded the ball every trip down the court but instead was content with letting his teammates jack up a majority of the shots while he hung around and did what he called “cleanup duty.” And as proven by his ability to average double-double for the entire season, Freeman kept things squeaky clean.

“I’m kind of laid back, but I like to just come in and play my role,” Freeman said.

By playing his role, Freeman led Riverside to a 23-8 record and trip to the East Regional semifinals. Knights’ coach Bobby Williams said that Freeman’s impact on games extended beyond the box score.

“Marcus’ numbers on most teams would have probably been a bit higher,” Williams said. “But the way we played we were very guard-orientated, and his job was to be in good rebounding position and to be in position when those guys drive to the hoop to receive the dish off.

“I go back and think about the nights we struggled as a team. Those were nights that unfortunately Marcus was in foul trouble or maybe he didn’t get enough touches.”

With opposing defenses forced to double team and collapse on Freeman, the Riverside big man was able to open things up for the other players without even touching the ball. And when he did get the ball, there wasn’t many players around that could deny him.

Freeman isn’t your typical high school big man who is long and lanky and is yet to fill out his frame. The Knights’ center has some muscle to him, which will only increase as he further commits to weight training.

Despite being a menace in the paint on both ends of the floor, Freeman is still a raw basketball player. He has yet to develop reliable back-to-the-basket moves, and he is working feverishly to expand his range.

“The sky is the limit for Marcus,” Williams said. “This summer is extremely important one for him.”

While his offensive game is ever-evolving, the big man’s defensive game was a big part of the Knight’s playoff run.

“He has a big presence in the post defensively,” Williams said. “With his height and his size, just being in the paint is enough. A lot of guards see him and don’t want to drive.”

Those who did challenge Freeman were often rejected as the center tallied 88 blocks this season. If Freeman could not swat a shot, chances are he made opposing players change their shot.

Aside from his knack for defensive play, another trait Freeman possess is his ability to rise to the occasion.

The Knights played perennial area powerhouse Plymouth four times this season and won all four of the matchups. Freeman’s best game of the season came in the team’s third battle when he posted 25 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocks to lead the Knights to an 86-78 victory in the Four Rivers Conference tournament.

Freeman didn’t just pick on smaller players. The junior turned in another one of his top performances in the North Edgecombe Christmas tournament when he took on North Edgecombe’s 6-8 star forward Montrezl Harrell, who has signed with Virginia Tech, and racked up 15 points and 16 boards while swatting five shots en route to being named tourney MVP.

“Some of his bigger games the whole entire year where against better competition,” Williams said. “He was the MVP of the Edgecombe Christmas Tournament. A lot of recruiting sights had Montrezl Harrell as a top 25 junior forward in the nation and Marcus dominated that night. He was by far the best player on the court that night.”

With a whole offseason to work on his game, you can bet next season he will be the best player on the court a lot of nights.