Daniel Freitag, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Bloomington (MN) Jefferson, is the top athletes and two-sports talents in the Class of 2024. Freitag shined at the Wisconsin team camp in late June earning him a scholarship offer from the Badgers. Minnesota followed by offering the Jaguar standout in July.
Freitag has helped lead the Jaguars to a 3-1 start this season. He is averaging 22.3 points per game, including a career-high 32 points versus last Saturday against Duluth East.
Freitag averaged 10.2 points per game last season as the Jaguars finished 11-9, losing to Shakopee 48-40 in the Section 2AAAA semifinals. He scored in double figures in 11 of 18 contests, including nine of his final ten games. Freitag had a season-best 21 points versus Chaska.
GopherHole recently caught up with Freitag Tuesday after the Lakeville North-Lakeville South game as he watched Howard Pulley teammate Jack Robison of Lakeville North to learn the more about his interest in the homestate school and sophomore season.
GopherHole: You had a big game against Duluth East on the road with 32 points, a career-high. How pleased are you with howe well you’ve been playing so far this year?
Daniel Freitag: Very pleased. We’ve been successful and it seems like the team is really leaning on me to get buckets, which wasn’t really the case last year. I think that I fit the role pretty well. I think that we can go far with what we are doing right now.
GopherHole: You are a sophomore now. Do you feel like you can take a little bit more of a leadership role than you could as a freshman?
Daniel Freitag: Oh, yeah. I definitely feel like the leader out there, although we do have our captains that lead pretty well, but I feel like the “thumb” out there and I enjoy it, too.
GopherHole: How are you health-wise? Are you 100%?
Daniel Freitag: Oh, yeah. I’m 100%.
GopherHole: I know that you were hoping to have a good year football-wise. Was that disappointing to get injured in the first game. You made that great catch and were on KARE-11 as “Play of the Week” and then you get hurt.
Daniel Freitag: Pretty disappointing. I’ve always wanted to prove what I could do on the field and it doesn’t seem like people are woke yet, so next year will be the year, I guess.
GopherHole: I know that you were at quite a few Gopher games. How many games did you get to for football this year as a visitor?
Daniel Freitag: I went to three football games and probably about three basketball games as well.
GopherHole: What have you thought of the team? To be honest, they have kind of surprised a lot of people with how well they have played with so many new faces.
Daniel Freitag: They are impressing me a lot. I wasn’t expecting what they are doing right now. They are off to a great start and should be good this year.
GopherHole: Does that get you a little bit more excited about Minnesota?
Daniel Freitag: Oh, yeah. I was very pleased with how they’ve been playing.
GopherHole: They have three Minnesota kids coming in next year. I don’t know how well you know them, but they have Joshua Ola-Joseph, Braden Carrington and Pharrel Payne. How well do you know them and have you talked to them about Minnesota much?
Daniel Freitag: I don’t talk to them very often, although I do know who they are. I know what they can do and they are a solid team. They should be a good trio.
GopherHole: Coach Johnson has made get the top Minnesota kids to stay instate a priority. Is that something that he has talked to you and Jack about?
Daniel Freitag: Oh, yeah. He always says “stay home.” It’s more so, Thorson, but “stay home. Do what Josh and them did.”
GopherHole: What things are you really working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Daniel Freitag: I think my jump shot improved a lot, although I haven’t really been able to showcase it recently. Been on a little cold stretch at the moment, but I think when the jump shot starts clicking, you guys can really tell that I’ve been working on it.
GopherHole: What are the expectations for the Jaguars this year?
Daniel Freitag: We set a goal for 20-5. I definitely think we can get it. 20-5, that was the goal.