Auburn's Overton, Freeman find home on The Plains

AUBURN, Ala. – With late-game steals and poster-worthy dunks, transfer Tigers Kevin Overton and Elyjah Freeman have each found a new home on the Plains, contributing mightily to Auburn’s success. 

Listed as guard-forwards, the 6-5 Overton played in the Elite Eight at Texas Tech last season while the 6-8 Freeman starred at Division II Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee. 

“Auburn has a family environment,” said Overton, a native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “The staff has been together for as long as any staff in the country. That gave me peace of mind to come here and not want to transfer again. I’m grateful to be where I am.”

“I love how connected we are,” said Freeman, whose hometown is Palm Beach, Florida. “We stick together. It’s always love here at the end of the day. That’s probably the best part. I love the fans here. They show tons of love.”

During a summer scrimmage at Neville Arena, Freeman drove to the rim but missed a contested shot, assuming a foul would be called, a notion associate head coach Ira Bowman quickly and pointedly corrected.

“This isn’t Division-II. This is the SEC,” Bowman exclaimed. “You’ve got to finish through contact!”

“He wasn’t lying,” Freeman said. “That was him telling me how it’s going to be this season.”

Averaging 10 points per game in the rugged Southeastern Conference, Freeman unselfishly asked Auburn head coach Steven Pearl to start freshman Sebastian Williams-Adams in his place 10 games into the season, a move that freed Elyjah to showcase his skills with the Tigers’ second unit. 

Standing 6-foot-1 as a high school freshman, Freeman continued to steadily grow throughout high school, nearing 6-foot-8 by graduation. He played point guard through middle school, sharpening his ballhandling skills by watching videos of NBA great Kyrie Irving.

“I’ve always been able to dribble,” said Freeman, the son of two former college athletes who credits his mother for his height and his dad for his athleticism. “Now that I’m taller and I’m a wing, it all fell into place.”

A 40-percent 3-point shooter in SEC play through Auburn’s first five league games, Freeman has continually developed since his arrival.

“A ton of confidence,” Freeman said. “I’m shooting more, trusting the work I’ve put in. With defense, I’ve been trying to guard and trying to help this team get wins.”

Freeman first displayed his high-flying antics vs. Houston in Birmingham in November, soaring over Chris Cenac Jr. and Joseph Tugler while drawing a foul.

“It might be Houston only because of who I dunked on,” Freeman said of his favorite dunk so far. “Those are high-rated players, probably the best two shot blockers in the country. To do that in that moment was pretty cool.”

Overton, Auburn’s leader with 29 steals through 18 games, contributes at both ends of the floor.

“I try to pride myself on the defensive end,” Overton said. “That’s where I’ve grown to enjoy more than offense.”

Through 18 games, Overton led Auburn with 34 3-pointers while shooting 35.1 percent from distance. 

“Making as many plays as I can,” he said. “Offense takes care of itself based on you trying to make those winning plays. In my eyes, I see myself as a two-way monster.”

Overton briefly quit playing basketball during his junior year of high school when he had trouble eating and sleeping after contracting Covid. 

“That’s why I am where I am today,” Overton said. “I had to stop playing, went through some things, had to make a crazy comeback.”

KO’s comeback included a year of prep school in Kansas before his freshman year at Drake and his sophomore season at Texas Tech.

Both Overton and Freeman see themselves staying connected to basketball after their playing days.

“I think I could give more to the game,” Overton said. “I can help guys in different ways. Being in rooms with people who need encouragement or need to hear about somebody else who’s been through something hard. It gives me mental stability, knowing I’ve been through what most people haven’t been through, so I try to give everything I can every day.”

“Maybe one day, I could become a coach or a mentor,” said Freeman, a kinesiology major, “to help somebody who was in my position become better, to speed up the process so they don’t have to take the longer route.”

For now, Elyjah Freeman and Kevin Overton want to reward Auburn for welcoming them.

“I look forward to helping the fans get some wins,” Freeman said. “We’re trying to get y’all some wins.”

“I’m going to do everything I can for Auburn,” Overton said. “I’m here to work.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer