Georgetown’s Austin Freeman facing life with diabetes

BY MIKE VORKUNOV

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

NEW YORK — Austin Freeman sat in front of his locker in a cramped Georgetown locker room following the Hoyas' 69-49 victory in the second round of the Big East Tournament, peppered with questions about the recent news that he had developed diabetes. His body language expressed a latent uneasiness. Still, in a low, monotone voice he answered each question perfunctorily, the same way he plans to deal with his newly gained antagonist.

"When they told me I was just thinking it was something I have to deal with and face it," he said. "Just take control of it, my body and all the other stuff I have to do."

"I have to. I've been getting used to it for the past week or so. It's just going to take time."

Freeman learned he had diabetes — a condition where a high blood sugar level develops because of an insulin imbalance — last Monday when he went to the emergency room with what he believed was an ordinary stomach virus. He was held out of that night's game at West Virginia as a precaution.

When he learned it was diabetes, he was unfazed, and started dealing with it.

In Freeman's first game back he scored 24 points and played 30 minutes. Wednesday he scored only eight points but was in the game for 37 minutes.

His routine has remained mostly unchanged, save a few small tweaks. He now watches his diet more closely and checks his sugar before, during and after practice.

Athletes, sometimes prisoners of habit, may resist differing from the norm. But not with this.

"I've been making sure I have to," he said. "It's my life that I'm dealing with so I have to take care of it."

Freeman says that he is the same on the court, physically unaffected and largely forgetting about it for that small window.

Since the news came out, he has been buoyed by stories of fellow college athletes with the same condition who have reached out to him via email.

"It's just good to know that people that are out there that care and to have my support," he said.

Because of the prevalence of the disease and his stature as high level Division 1 basketball player, Freeman also understands that he now has an opportunity to make a difference, however minute.

"You have kids that look up to you and some of them might have diabetes too," he said. "I wouldn't mind helping out and talking to them."

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