Although his name might be unfamiliar to many Kansas fans, the #32 ranked player in the country, Justin Coleman, has caught the eye of the Kansas coaching staff with his aggressive play and scoring ability. Coleman, now at Huntington Prep High School (WV) also has interest in the Jayhawks and is hoping to make a trip to Lawrence in the near future.
“I like them,” said Coleman about the Jayhawks. “It’s a pretty good school. It’s one of the schools I grew up watching,” he added.
As for Coleman’s list, there doesn’t appear to be a shortage of schools for the 6′5″ 215 pound SG to choose from.
“Kansas, Kentucky, UCONN, Marquette, Xavier, Arkansas, and Providence are the schools I’m looking at now,” said Coleman.
It has been previously reported that Coleman considers Kansas, Kentucky, and UCONN as his leaders. According to Coleman, that’s not the case, and he’s still waiting on those three schools to extend a scholarship offer.
“Nope, I don’t have any favorites right now,” Coleman said. “All the schools on my list but Kansas, Kentucky, and UCONN have offered me,” added Coleman.
No visits are currently set up for Coleman, but it appears that a trip to Lawrence could be in the works.
“My AAU coach is supposed to be talking to them (KU) about setting up a visit. I am looking to learn a lot more about them and hopefully take that visit,” said Coleman.
One reason that Coleman has yet to set up visits is the fact that he is waiting to take one of the two standardnized test, which has to be done before any recruit can officially visit a school. According to Coleman, he will actually take both test in the coming weeks.
“I’m taking them next month,” Coleman said.
As for his game, Coleman didn’t waste anytime talking about what he does best on the court.
“Getting to the rim. I have all that stuff, but I like getting to the basket more,” about having the ability to shoot, but preferring getting to the rim. “Above the rim. I like to finish above the rim,” added Coleman.
May evaluation from ESPN Scout’s, Inc.
May, 2009: Coleman is an aggressive wing that can score in bunches. He is an above the rim finisher in transition and can hit the open three with regularity. He has a smooth stroke and shoots with great confidence. Threes off the catch or dribble is not a problem for Coleman, he does a great job of spotting up on the side of the floor where dribble penetration is occurring and he sprints off screens locked and loaded. The one or two dribble mid range pull up is also in the scoring package. Coleman has great size and strength to get to the rim as well. He is a good enough ball handler to beat his defender off the dribble with spin moves and he is strong enough to attack the lane and score through contact or draw the foul. At times Coleman decision making is questionable. He will take fully contested shots and can be charge prone because when he makes up his mind to score he is determined to get the ball on the rim. Coleman should work on his passing on the move and look to kick out to open teammates when he draws a second or third defender. Defensively he needs to play in a stance more often because he has the strength and athletic ability to be an excellent wing defender when motivated. Overall a terrific offensive talent. At times he reminds me of Lance Stephenson.
