Coleman enters freshman season with serious expectations
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 17—CHAMPAIGN — Quentin Coleman flipping his commitment from Wake Forest to the Illinois men's basketball program on the eve of the Final Four was big enough recruiting news to make headlines from Indianapolis beyond the looming national semifinal games.
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Coleman's continued rise this spring up the recruiting rankings only added to the hype. Expectations soared in direct correlation to his newly minted five-star status and hit an even higher level as he turned out to be the most consistent player on Team USA's silver medal-winning FIBA U18 AmeriCup roster.
The next layer came in the wake of the 2026 NBA draft. Attention for mock drafts shifted to the 2027 version of the draft, and several of the exceedingly too early projections included the Illinois freshman guard as a potential one-and-done, first-round pick.
Coleman wasn't exactly oblivious to the hype and expectations, but it didn't really sink in until he made it to Champaign.
"I didn't really think I had much fame until I came and was walking on campus or walking on Green Street to get Mia Za's," Coleman said. The frequent, random requests for pictures and autographs were the giveaway. "I actually like it. With the Illinois fans, it's crazy support."
Coleman will get his first opportunity to show who he is as a college basketball player Saturday afternoon with Illinois facing Cincinnati in an exhibition game in the Queen City. A wider audience will get a chance to see what the Illini coaches and Coleman's teammates have discovered in the past 4 1/2 months.
"I see why he has expectations for him," Illinois fifth-year big man Zvonimir Ivisic said. "He's a great player. Just a dog on the court. Hates to lose. Really hates to lose."
That level of competitiveness was present from day one.
Brad Underwood never fails to mention Coleman's motor, referencing it as "great" and "unbelievable." There's an "eager aggression" the Illinois coach sees in the freshman guard the Illini staff is trying to hone.
"I hope he stays out of foul trouble," Underwood quipped about his goal for Coleman in Saturday's exhibition. "He's been very aggressive. I want the game to slow down for him. That experience will be vital. He doesn't take any plays off. I think he'll rise to the occasion.
"There will be some nerves and some anxiety I'm sure, as there is with everybody, but as he settles into the game, I think we'll start to see his talent. He's got to control that emotion on the defensive side and just be solid."
Coleman said he plays with a chip on his shoulder that drives his competitive nature. Steering that eagerness is something he said he's still learning, but the O'Fallon native and former Principia School star in Missouri is willing to direct his energy in whatever direction is required.
That meant Coleman operated as a go-to scorer during Principia's back-to-back state championships, which was never more apparent than the Cougars' title this spring. Coleman put up 50 of his team's 98 points in the title game. Principia's opponent, Miller Career Academy, finished with 34.
Coleman's role shifted this summer with Team USA, as he led not only the U.S., but the entire tournament, in rebounding. The 6-foot-4 guard's 11.4 rebounds per game gave him roughly 1 1/2 more per game than his closest competitor — 7-1 Canadian (and now Duke freshman) Maxime Meyer.
"Going in doing the little things — picking up full court, going to rebound," Coleman said was his goal playing for Team USA. Particularly after he was certain he wouldn't even make the roster in the first place.
"Doing the things other people weren't doing was what I was going in focusing on," he continued. "I knew everybody on that team could score and get after it. Doing the little things that people weren't doing much, I felt like if I did that, I'd impact winning."
Team USA ultimately lost 67-65 to Canada in the gold-medal game. While a silver medal wasn't the desired outcome, Coleman's performance was further validation of his place among his basketball peers. Playing for Anthony Grant (Dayton), Nate Oats (Alabama) and Matt Langel (Colgate) also provided some experience receiving college level coaching.
Coleman brought a similar mindset to Champaign to do whatever was asked and do enough of it to help Illinois get back to the Final Four.
One item is for certain. The rebounding traveled.
"Our big guys get ticked off at him every day because he steals their rebounds," Underwood said.
The reality? From both ends of the equation?
"He's a great rebounder," Illinois fifth-year center Tomislav Ivisic said. "I was surprised. Sometimes, I'm trying to get a rebound, and I just see him flying by and he just takes it. That's part of our job to box out, and the guards have to come in. That's what Kylan (Boswell) was good at — Keaton (Wagler), too — and I think Quentin's better at that."
"I love playing with Tomi and Z because they box out and then I come in and get the rebounds," Coleman added. "That's just what I do. I like to go get rebounds, and Tomi and Z are happy about it. They do most of the work. I'm going to give credit to them."
Saturday's exhibition at Cincinnati will provide Coleman his first opportunity to crash the boards in orange and blue. A greater necessity given last year's leading rebounder, David Mirkovic, remains sidelined after offseason foot surgery.
But how many rebounds Coleman grabs won't be the only part of his game scrutinized. The five-star recruit turned potential 2027 lottery pick will have eyes on him all season.
"You're going to get it the position he's in," said Illinois senior guard Andrej Stojakovic, who is no stranger to expectations. The son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic was a McDonald's All-American and a five-star recruit himself coming out of high school.
"He has certain expectations for himself," Stojakovic continued. "He's going to have to go through an adjustment at some point, and we're just here to help him through it. He's been great so far. Q's going to prove a lot to himself this year and show a lot of people what he can do at the college level."