Bloomington Jefferson guard Daniel Freitag, Minnesota's No. 1 player in 2024 class, explains decision to leave state

When Horace Greeley suggested "Go West, young man," he didn't have college basketball in mind. But Daniel Freitag does.

Freitag, Minnesota's top boys basketball player in the Class of 2024, is headed to Southern California Academy in Northridge, Calif., for his senior season.

"I am excited to announce I'll be completing my high school basketball career with Southern California Academy!" Freitag posted Thursday on his Twitter account.

Freitag said Thursday night that he decided recently to leave his Bloomington Jefferson to further develop his game.

"I absolutely love Jefferson," Freitag said. "I really wanted to stay in the community and graduate from Jefferson."

The 6-2, 180-pound Freitag, a guard who is being recruited by the Gophers among others, is ranked 60th in the nation by Rivals and 93rd by 247Sports. He said he felt he was playing at guard too little for Jefferson.

"I realized where I was playing in high school didn't align with where I would be playing in the future. I was playing out of position," Freitag said. "I wanted to develop more in the position that I would be playing."

Southern California Academy tweeted: "Let's welcome 2024 Daniel Freitag 6-3 PG to Southern California Academy. Freitag is one of the top Point Guards in the nation. Tough as they come! Shot creator & playmaker with a 6-8 wingspan. Definition of mature, leader, & TOUGH. Big time shooter."

Freitag, a Star Tribune All-Metro first-team pick, averaged 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 2022-23. He surpassed Cole Aldrich as Bloomington Jefferson's all-time leading scorer.

"It is his drive and determination to always be at his best that makes Daniel stand out as an athlete," Jaguars coach Jeff Evens said.

A two-sport athlete, Freitag is also being recruited by the Gophers for football as a wide receiver/running back. Southern California Academy doesn't offer football.

"Football is still 1,000 percent in the mix," said Freitag, who was the Jaguars' quarterback. "I will also be working with a trainer for football."

Freitag holds nine Division I offers for basketball and four for football, mostly from Midwest schools.

"This is more about development and less about recruitment," Freitag said.