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William Penn grad to play pro basketball in Romania


Basketball isn't over yet for Aignee' Freeland.

The 22-year-old William Penn High School graduate and Edinboro University standout recently signed a contract to play professionally for ICIM Arad in Romania. Freeland said she leaves in about two weeks, and the basketball season starts late next month.

"I'm very, very happy," Freeland said. "A little nervous at the same time. I'm sure there will be a little bit of culture shock, but it's definitely going to be a life-changing experience."

Earlier this summer, Freeland went to a weekend combine in the Philadelphia area and competed with talent from up and down the East Coast.

"I felt good about how it went," Freeland said. "I went into it with an open mind and playing basketball is something I do every day. I had a lot of fun and it was a good experience."

About a month-and-a-half later, she signed with an agent Edinboro University coach Stan Swank connected her with.

"(The agent) threw a couple options out of potential teams," Freeland said. "Romania wasn't one of the places we had talked about previously, but it came out of nowhere. Kind of a blessing. I only found out a week or two ago that they were interested. They offered me what I thought was a pretty good deal and I felt good about it, so I signed with them."

ICIM Arad plays in the 11-team Liga Nationala, the top women's league in Romania, and wound up fifth during the regular season in 2016. They qualified for the playoffs and were eliminated in the quarterfinal round by No. 4-seed Targoviste.

The current online roster for the team lists the 6-foot-3 Freeland as the team's starting center and one of two  Americans on the team. A 34-year-old guard from Conshohocken, Pa. named Cherrise Graham is the other.

The 5-foot-7 Graham attended Archbishop Carroll High School where she was the Gatorade Girls' Player of the Year from Pennsylvania in 2000, and one of 10 first-team Parade Magazine All-Americans with Diana Taurasi. She played in Romania's Division 3 for Targu Mures last season.

"I've done some research about their language, culture and things like that. I'm still going in a little blind. I don't know a lot about Romania. Hopefully the coach, the players and everybody will help me out."

Freeland started games all four seasons at Edinboro, was named PSAC Freshman of the Year in 2012-2013 and earned All-PSAC West honors three straight seasons. As a senior, Freeland scored a team-high 16.3 points per game while hauling in a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game for a Fighting Scots team that finished 20-10. Her 1,555 career points are sixth-best all-time at Edinboro.

Freeland began playing organized basketball in seventh grade and developed into a four-year varsity performer at William Penn High School. She was a high point for a struggling Bearcats squad that combined for just eight wins in her final three years. In her senior season, Freeland averaged a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds per game, as well as six blocks, according to the Edinboro website.

Freeland was a YAIAA Division I second-team all-star as a junior in 2010-11 and an honorable mention the next year.

Her high school coach was former York Catholic player Blaine Claiborne, who now coaches the Fighting Irish boys' basketball team.

"I liked the way (Claiborne) coached," Freeland said. "He came off to me as somebody who was passionate about his players and the game. He's helped me tremendously and been very patient with me along the way, from AAU to putting in the time and effort to the countless talks we had about basketball. To this day. He traveled hours to see my games at Edinboro. He's been a big influence."