Gerard Coleman makes a statement in PC debut
PROVIDENCE ? With 11 minutes left on the clock and a season-opening win over Dartmouth well in hand, Gerard Coleman looked at his teammates on the floor at the Dunkin? Donuts Center and a confident smile crossed his face.
To his left he saw guards Dre Evans and Bryce Cotton. On his right were forward Lee Goldsbrough and an old friend from his Boston AAU days, the bruising Ron Giplaye. That made five freshmen on the floor at once, a rarity in the history of Providence College basketball.
?I realized that,? said a smiling Coleman. ?I was like, ?Wow. Crazy potential for the future!? ?
While this year?s Friars need starring efforts from upperclassmen such as senior Marshon Brooks and sophomores Bilal Dixon and Vincent Council, the bulk of the team just enjoyed its very first college basketball game. The Friars hope to follow up their 87-52 win over Dartmouth with another victory Monday against Yale at The Dunk.
?We?re young but we?re good. We have a lot of talent,? Coleman said. ?Not many teams even have five freshmen, let alone on the floor at the same time.?
Coleman will be on the floor a lot for the Friars over the next four seasons. He was the only true freshman to start Saturday (so did redshirt frosh forward Kadeem Batts), but that was no surprise. From the moment PC signed Coleman to a letter of intent last November, coach Keno Davis has counted the days before he could slot Coleman into his lineup. The 6-foot-4 lefty guard from Boston?s Dorchester section was a nationally known recruit for several years after enjoying great success with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club program. He also helped lead Tilton (N.H.) School to the last three New England Class B prep championships.
He averaged 28.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a senior. He will be asked to put points on the board and use his long, athletic frame to become a defensive force as well. Early reviews are excellent. He scored 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting against Dartmouth to become the highest-scoring freshman in PC history to begin a career as a starter. That he did so with his mother, Laurel Cannon, in the stands made the win only sweeter.
?I couldn?t ask more out of Gerard Coleman,? said Davis. ?You might wonder about a guy who comes in highly rated and how he will adjust, but every one of our players came in as the best player on their team. It?s always an adjustment for young guys to come in and find a role.?
Davis could only wish the rest of his entire team spent as much time as Coleman in the gym working on their skills. While blessed with a dynamic first step and finishing skills at the rim, he?s a still-developing jump shooter. Even so, he confidently fired in a 3-pointer in PC?s exhibition game over Bentley and made the only three he attempted against Dartmouth.
?In a short amount of time, he?s made himself into a pretty capable 3-point shooter,? said Davis. ?We know that he can take it to the basket and is athletic and is going to be a great defender in this league, but I didn?t realize how much he would work on his outside shot. If he continues to do that and turns himself into a great outside shooter as well, then ? you have the whole package.?
Coleman wasn?t the only freshman to star against Dartmouth. Cotton, a guard from Arizona whom assistant coach Chris Davis didn?t find until late July, came off the bench and fired in 15 points, nabbed three steals and passed for three assists. Those types of efforts need to become commonplace for the Friars this season, and Coleman feels he and his classmates are up to the task.
?I need to keep getting better and get a lot stronger and just keep thinking the game,? said Coleman. ?I can be smarter on offense and stay aggressive on defense. I just want to keep playing my game, play with that confidence just like in high school. I won?t shy away from contact and we all just need to keep playing aggressive.?
