Freeman gets deal with Polish pro hoops team
Posted September 27, 2011
Marke Freeman’s bags have been
packed for a couple of weeks and now she’s off to Europe.
The Lanphier High School graduate has signed a
one-year contract to play professional basketball in Poland for Tecza Leszno in
the PLKK, a Polish League. The season starts later this month and lasts through
March.
Freeman is driving today from Springfield to
Chicago where she’ll pick up her passport, stay overnight, board a 10-hour
flight Thursday to Warsaw, Poland, and then hop on a two-hour flight to her
final destination: Leszno, which is located in central Poland.
Freeman, 22, was in negotiations for two weeks, so
Monday’s phone call didn’t come as a complete surprise.
“I was packed and ready to go,” she said. “I just
didn’t know when that phone call was going to come.”
Freeman, a 5-foot, 5-inch guard, has awaited a
chance to head overseas since March, when she wrapped up her playing career at
Northern Illinois University. She averaged 16.1 points, poured in 49 3-pointers
and snagged 74 steals as a senior.
Poland = Melting pot
In the meantime, Freeman participated in multiple
free agent camps and played for the Rock County Robins in the Women’s Blue Chip
Basketball League. Freeman helped Rock County win a national championship last
month, leading the team with 19 points in the title game after missing four
weeks with a fractured foot. The WBCBL is made up of international players and
former college, NWBL and WNBA players.
“All summer I had an agent working for me,” Freeman
said. “We were talking to a couple of teams in Poland, a team in France and a
team in Germany.
“Basketball in Poland is really growing. I know
about four girls who I’ll be playing with in the same conference. It had a
little to do with my decision. I won’t be over there completely alone.
“I can’t wait to get over there and compete
against people from all over the world.”
- Marcia Martinez