With huge shoes to fill, VUU builds roster
Fred Jeter | 7/27/2023, 6 p.m.
Virginia Union University is adding two players with NCAA Division I backgrounds to its Division II CIAA basketball program.
Joining Panthers Coach Jay Butler’s roster for the upcoming season will be 6-foot-6, 250-pound Jonathan Salazar and 6-foot-4, 185-pound Josiah Freeman.
A native of Panama, Salazar went to St. John Bosco High in Southern California and played at both The University of the Pacific of the D-1 West Coast Conference and Cerritos, Cal., College (a junior college).
Freeman hails from Manassas Park High in Northern Virginia, and played the past two seasons at Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. Freeman started 19 of 31 games this past season.
VUU is coming off a 24-8 season in which it won the CIAA Northern Division and advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs.
There are holes to fill, however. Among those graduating is CIAA Player of Year Robert Osborne as well as CIAA rebounding leader Raemaad Wright and point guard Keleaf Tate who started all 32 games.
