Hawkeye Basketball’s Freeman, Harding Share Full-Court Connection

Brock Harding wasn’t sure he’d get along with fellow Hawkeye Owen Freeman when they first met playing AAU basketball in high school. Harding was initially amused by Freeman’s gangly appearance. Freeman jokes that Harding was shorter than he expected. But their chemistry as teammates grew as they stepped onto the court.

The Illinois natives developed a rapport in their first practice together in 2019 for MidPro Academy, a premier AAU basketball program. Harding threw lobs to Freeman inside, and Freeman found Harding for open shots outside. A dynamic duo emerged. “Everything flowed together perfectly as soon as we started playing,” says Harding.

Throughout four seasons with MidPro Academy and a senior-year state championship run with Moline High School in Illinois, Harding and Freeman developed a connection on and off the court that carried into their first season on the Iowa men’s basketball team. The UI sophomores enter this season determined to shoulder bigger roles and take the Hawkeyes on an NCAA tournament run.

CLICK HERE for the complete story in Iowa Magazine.