Year: Junior (2010)

Major: Elementary Education

Born: March 19th, 1988 in Portland, Maine

HOMETOWN/HS: Scarborough, Maine / Catherine McAuley

Sport / Position: Basketball, shooting guard and small forward

FAVORITES:

Song: It's hard to just pick one song because I think it always changes for me!

Food: Pizza...I could eat it every day for every meal!

T.V. Show: The Office

Movie: Dangerous Minds

Book: Anything written by Jodi Picoult

One of the most prolific shooters from beyond the arc in program history, Carolyn Freeman ‘10 currently ranks third in in the SJC record book with 135 three-pointers made in 73 games. Her career average of 11.6 points per game is tied for 11th all-time and, with 21 points against Emmanuel College on January 19th, became the 27th SJC player to reach 800 points. As of February 15th, she is 152 points away from joining her mom, Linda (Johnson) Freeman ‘81, on the 1,000 point banner. An All-GNAC First Teamer in 2008, Freeman has worked hard to become a complete player and has six double-doubles this season and 13 in her career.

Saint Joseph's Women's Basketball Head Coach Deb Reardon on Carolyn:

"Everyone knew that Carolyn had the potential to make a huge impact on the SJC women's basketball program. In her first game in a Monk uniform, Carolyn dropped 19 points and grabbed 8 boards against Green Mountain College and we knew it was the beginning of something special. Known for her scoring, Carolyn has elevated other parts of her game and become one of our top rebounders. She has an amazing ability to do what is needed each game from shooting the three to playing in the post and even bringing up the ball. Carolyn understands the game and makes the players around her better."

Why did you choose Saint Joseph's College?

I chose Saint Joseph's College because it is close to home, the campus is small and the Elementary Education program is one of the best in New England. Also, my Mom and Dad went here and I knew that they loved it, so that sort of weighed on my decision as well because I knew what a good school it was without even attending it yet.

What was your first job?

My first job was working at a seafood restaurant in Scarborough called Salty Bay and I've worked there every summer for the past five years.

Who would you like to trade places for a day with and why?

I would want to trade places with Ellen Degeneres, because I feel like she is always having fun and never has anything to worry about. I watch her show whenever I can and I just feel like she's always happy. Also, she is very generous and always gives things to guests on the show. Plus, she meets all kinds of famous people, so who wouldn't want to do that!

What is on your "Bucket List?"

-Travel to either France or Australia
-Horseback ride on the beach (sounds corny but I've always wanted to do it!)
-Go to the NCAA finals...men or women

Talent you'd most like to have:

A talent I'd most like to have would have to be not procrastinating. I feel like whenever I have something to do I always say to myself ‘I won't get behind on this' and then eventually I end up doing just that. It's something I'm working on, so hopefully someday it will become a talent of mine!

What do you drive?

Saturn or a Lexus...it depends on who in my family has what car at the time!

Do you have any superstitions before you go into a big game?

I don't really have any superstitions before a big game. I just try and do the same routine before every game because it gets my mind focused. I guess one "superstition" that I've always had is that I undo and redo my sneakers and fix my socks right before the game starts...not that it needs to be done, it's just habit so I always do that.

What is your most memorable moment as an athlete at SJC?

My most memorable moment would have to be beating Maine Maritime on our home court my sophomore year. I cannot pick a better game than that because I believe that was the best game we have played since I've been here. It was so nice to see every one clicking on the same night and then to pull out a win against MMA, who we don't beat that often, was amazing. The entire team was so pumped after that game and it just made all the work we put into the season worth it.

Who has had the greatest impact on your life?

My entire family, immediate and extended. My family is very big but also tight knit. Everyone in my family is so caring and generous that I can't just pick one person. My mom and dad have taught me so much and have helped me with many things throughout my life. My sisters, Tricia and Alex, are my best friends and I don't know who I'd be without them. As for the rest of my family, we are just so true to each other and have helped each other out through many difficult situations and it's just nice to know I always have someone to go to, no matter what.

Can you tell us something about you that most people don't know?

I have never seen a scary movie in my life and I don't ever plan on it. I don't know what it is but I have never been able to bring myself to do that. I went to see Batman this summer and that is probably the scariest movie I've ever seen.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

It's scary to think that in five years I will be 25. But, I hope that I'll have a good elementary teaching job somewhere in Southern Maine.

If you could meet anyone (past or present) who would it be and why?

Michael Jordan. Since day one, I've been a huge fan of him as a person and as a player. I just feel like there is so much to learn from him basketball-wise that it would be amazing to sit down with him and go over his techniques and strategies. When I feel like I'm struggling on the court I always watch a clip or a game of his to get me pumped up and to gain more confidence in myself. I once saw him play when I was younger and was almost in tears when I saw him, so if ever met him I don't know what I'd do!

What are your hobbies?

Shopping, hanging out with friends, being outside, spending time with my family, and in the summer I love to play wiffle ball.

What is your ideal day away from basketball?

My ideal day away from basketball is going home with my boyfriend, Eric, and just spending the day there with my parents relaxing and having a home cooked meal. It's always so nice to go home, even if it's just for a couple hours. Once in a while my sisters come up to watch a game, so I usually go home when they are here too, because I don't see them very often since they live in other states. That would be an ideal day because we'd all be home at once, which doesn't happen very often.

What will it mean to you if (and when) you score your 1,000th point?

I haven't really thought about it too much actually. I guess it's always in the back of my head because I'm in the gym everyday seeing the banner up there with my mom's name on it. The banner means a lot to me since my mom was the first one to score 1,000 points without a three point line and while using a guy's ball. I've always looked up to her for that because it was so much different when she played compared to now. The other day Meg McDevitt told me that if I scored 1,000 points the banner in the gym would be a sandwich of my mom's and my name. I laughed when she said it, but if it does happen that way I'll be excited.

Will you play or coach basketball after your college days are over?

I definitely want to coach after college. I don't want to play in my senior game and then have basketball be done for the rest of my life. It's in my blood so once I'm done playing I want to share my passion with other young players and hopefully teach them what I know. Both of my parents were coaches of every single sports team my sisters and I ever played on, so I will have to be involved with sports somehow after I graduate!

What goals did you set for yourself and the team for this season?

For myself, I wanted to become more of an inside threat on the post. I worked a lot during the summer with my boyfriend on post moves and different ways of scoring, other than shooting the three. Although I still love to shoot, driving to the basket or making a post move was always something I wanted to add to my game. It's really easy to find out one player's strength and then guard them to their weaknesses, so I wanted to come in this season having more than one strength so I would be difficult to defend. This season I've really improved on those things and I feel like I have more options to go to now when I'm on the floor. I never thought I would like playing the post, so I kind of dreaded it coming into the season but I've learned to love it.

For the team, I wanted us to have a better record than last year and make it far into the playoffs. Getting knocked out in the first round last year was tough, especially after we played so well during that game. Hopefully if we get far enough into this year we will come out on top as GNAC champions. I think that would be the ultimate goal for any player. As a team we also come up with one goal for ourselves, and this season it's "Expect to Win." We don't always have the confidence we should have on the floor. We are a good, athletic team with a lot of talent, but we don't always use it to our advantage. Under that goal we had mini goals on how to get there. I think little by little we are achieving many of the goals we set for ourselves and that eventually leads us to our bigger goal of expecting to win. If we accomplish all of the little goals and achieve our one big goal then we will definitely make it far in playoffs.