He may still be adjustingto college life, but freshman point guard DaShawn Freeman is already making a big impact on the Sacramento State men’s basketball program.

Head coach Jerome Jenkins heavily recruited Freeman from basketball powerhouse Saint Mary’s High School in Berkeley, and believes he will be a key factor in helping turn around the Hornet program.

“We were fortunate to get him,” Jenkins said. “He is going to be something special for the Hornets. I was the only one on my staff to recruit Freeman because I wanted him to know how valuable he was. I wanted him to know that I wanted him to run the ship.”

This weekend the Sac State basketball team ended their three-year 39-game road losing streak with a 73-66 victory over Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo on Saturday night.

After the Hornets led by 23 points at halftime, the Mustangs closed within two points of snatching the lead, with less than four minutes remaining.

With a 62-57 win over the University of San Francisco on Wednesday night, the Hornets are currently riding a two-game winning streak.

“We play with a lot of heart and there is a lot of character on this team,” Jenkins said. “Our guys feel like they can play with any team in the country. I’m really proud of them.”

Starting the season with a 3-3 record, the team has already shown definite improvement from last season when the squad finished 9-19.

Despite their difficult travel schedule, the last two road trips have given new life to the basketball team. The team has shown that they can compete with nationally ranked programs, including No. 15-ranked Missouri.

Although Sac State lost to the Tigers 98-60, they were only down by 10 points when the halftime buzzer sounded.

Much of the improvement can be attributed to the new point guard, Freeman, and his aggressive style of play. Against Cal Poly, Freeman led the team with four steals. In his first six games with the Hornets, he has established himself as an integral component of the team.

As of Monday, the 5-foot-11 guard currently leads the Hornets with 26 assists and 17 steals.

As one of the youngest players on an experienced squad, his game has earned much respect from the coaching staff and the older players.

“We can’t win without him, and frankly he’s still just growing up,” Jenkins said. “Each and every game, Freeman is getting better and better.”

Against Missouri, Freeman had his work cut out for him as he matched up with one of the best point guards in the country, Ricky Clemons. Freeman’s eight assists and five steals made for his best performance of the season.

Freeman may be only a freshman, but he knows that in order to play with the elite players in Div. I, he’ll have to continue to work hard and adjust his game.

“In college, you have to grow up fast if you want to be successful,” Freeman said.

Lucky for the Hornets, Freeman appears willing and eager to step up his game and provide a needed boost for the Sac State basketball program.

“My goal for this team is to get to the NCAA Tournament,” Freeman said. “We first need to win the Big Sky Tournament to accomplish this goal.”