g
PRINT: Backpage
Wednesday, Feb.27,2013
EUROP
eonae nom
Former Cougar and MVP Brian Freeman shows his fierce prowess and skills as he slams one home while playing fo r the Lourdes, a pro basketball team in France.
Continued from Page 1
Freeman, 2007 Cougar alum,
has played in Austria, Holland,
Poland and France since leading
Clackamas to the 2007 NWAACC
Championship. Freeman, at 6-foot-
10, 240 pound post player, was
named MVP o f the Southern
Region and MVP o f the NWAACC
tournament that year. He had aver
aged 18 points and 14 rebounds per
game.
Freeman’s coach from West
Albany High School, Everett
Hartman, is really proud o f his for
mer player.
“Brian is not just a good basket
ball player; he is a quality young
man. He was a late bloomer. When
he played for me in high school, he
probably didn’t weigh 200 pounds,”
said Hartman. “But he was always
working hard to get better. He is a
great story about perseverance and
hard w ork”
Freeman has dual citizenship
(U.S. and Holland) and is currently
playing for Lourdes in France.
“He’s in France again this year,”
said Wegner. “Last year his team
went 21-1 and he was named MVP.”
Freeman stated in an email that
his team is 40-4 over the past two
seasons and he is very happy to
be where he is, after a few ups and
downs early in his career overseas.
“I was the MVP last year,” stated
Freeman. “I’m having another very
strong year this year. I think I have
found a situation tihat is perfect
for me and I will probably end up
spending most of the rest o f my
career here.”
Freeman’s schedule for the past
few years has him overseas from
mid-August to mid-May play
ing with his team. He rarely gets
free time during the season, but
has taken advantage o f Christmas
breaks to travel in Italy, Spain and
England.
“I do not travel after the season
though,” stated Freeman. “I usu
ally go home immediately after our
last game because by that time I’m
missing my friends and family back
in America and I want to get back as
soon as I can.”
Freeman is hoping he can play
as long as his body will allow him
to.
“I will just continue to stay out
here and make money and gain
experience for the future until either
my body does not hold up anymore
or something better comes along
to keep me in the States,” stated
Freeman.
Kuebler, 2002 Clackamas alum,
averaged 18 points per game at
Hawaii as a senior. He attracted
interest from the NBA coming out
o f college due to his 6-foot-5 frame
and sweet outside shooting touch.
Although Kuebler didn’t make it
Brian Freeman shoots past an opponent as he blazes down the court. Free
man ’s run with the Lourdes ended with a record o f 21-1 lastyear.
to the big show, he has carved out
a successful career overseas for the
past eight years.
“Michael Kuebler was a skinny
little kid out o f Salem that real
ly nobody else recruited except
for some smaller Division II and
Divison in schools,” said Wegner.
“We really liked the kid and when
we got him here, I realized he was
better than I even thought. He just
got better and better. He was a phe
nomenal kid, a player o f the year,
a scholar athlete and he went on to
have a great career at Hawaii.”
Kuebler is currently playing for
his fifth different team in Poland
after previously playing in Israel
and Finland. Kuebler is averaging
6.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 18
minutes per game for AZS Kozalin
in Poland’s top basketball league.
“He’s had a great career over
seas,” said Wegner. “He’s having a
fabulous time and has a great con
tract. His team in Poland won the
national championship last year.”
Freeman shared a funny story
about meeting Kuebler for the first
time.
“We had never met before until
we found but on a basketball court
in Poland that we both happened
to be from the Northwest,” stated
Freeman. “Theii w e got to talking
and it was funny who he turned out
to be and that we had both played
for Wegner at Clackamas.”
They may not be household
names or having million dollar
shoe contracts, but these former
Clackamas basketball players are
having the experience o f a lifetime
as they five their dream o f playing
professional basketball. Hartman
summed it up best when he told me
what Freeman said to him last time
he was home.
“He said, ‘Coach, I’m single,
I’m making good money and I’m
living my dream,”’ said Hartman.