Donnie Freeman, a key offseason pickup for St. John's, will miss the 2026-27 season after tearing his Achilles.
Red Storm coach Rick Pitino made the announcement on social media Wednesday, saying Freeman suffered the non-contact injury in a workout and had surgery.
"Donnie is an awesome young man, we will get him back better than ever!" Pitino wrote.
Freeman, a versatile 6-foot-9 forward, played the last two seasons at Syracuse. A top-10 recruit in the 2024 high school class, he averaged 16.5 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sophomore and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.
The Washington, D.C., native posted 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds as a freshman, but his season was cut short because of a fracture in his right foot.
Freeman entered the portal after Syracuse's season ended, and chose St. John's over Kentucky.
He was expected to be a starter for a St. John's team ranked eighth in ESPN's "2026-27 Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings."