Just caught up with Texas' newest 2017 hoops commitment Matt Colman following Oak Hill Academy's 80-77 loss to Nathan Hale and the nation's top prospect Michael Porter, Jr. A few thoughts before I started working on some audio from today's interviews:
1) What I found very interesting is that not only did Coleman say he's watched Texas games this season, the Longhorns' performances this year might have helped their cause with Coleman. The four-star point guard discussed watching Texas and seeing that he could bring to Texas exactly what it needs right now, which is what Shaka Smart has been telling him all along.
Coleman spoke highly of Texas' potential players, and noted that Dylan Osetkowski is a "beast."
2) As we reported for months, Coleman said he really struggled and went back-and-forth with this decision for a long time, which his father echoed as well. Smart's commitment to Coleman and the opportunity at Texas to make an impact won out, as did the relationships Coleman built up with Texas staff members for years.
I asked about Smart keeping it real with Coleman and consistently telling Coleman he could come in and make an impact right away, and the newest UT commitment joked, "he had to keep it real that way because it's what he's been telling me for five years."
He said he finally came to the decision last week and kept it under wraps. Duke recruited him until the end.
3) Looking back at his visits, Coleman said his official to Texas was his best visit. He loved the city, and also noted that Texas' attention to detail on the visit really stood out. When he first arrived on campus, all the coaches were there to greet him.
4) Was pretty cool to see five-star point guard, and Kentucky signee Quade Green come up to Coleman after his decision and give him a hug, and took a picture with Coleman and Coleman's father. Coleman is a player a lot of the elite guys in his class really respect.
I could tell Coleman was frustrated with not making the McDonald's All-American Game and he said guys like Green, Trevon Duval, and others wanted to make a protest to get Coleman into the game.
5) I thought Coleman played well despite his team coming up short. He showed a mid-range jumper, connected on the only three he took, ran the team well when Billy Preston wasn't throwing it out of rhythm, defended, and had about seven assists by my count with just two turnovers.
From the last time I've seen him, he's gotten stronger, grown a little bit, and his shot looks like it's improved some. Coleman is always talking on the floor, and he does the little things as a floor general that Texas needs, like when he found rolling picks out of a pick-and-roll, drove and kicked to the open opposite corner, dropped the ball inside when there was a mismatch, and found a third option on the opposite wing out of a ballscreen and drive.
6) Coleman said he's already started recruiting other guys, including five-stars Mohamed Bamba and Brian Bowen, who took official visits to Texas. Coleman also added in that he's working on getting five-star Kevin Knox to start considering Texas too.
It sounded like Coleman genuinely believes that Texas has a good shot with Bamba, and that Bamba was waiting to see what Coleman's college decision was.
EDIT - Here's the quote from Coleman:
"I’m working real hard," he said when asked about recruiting Mohamed Bamba. "I’m working on Mo (Bamba) and Brian Bowen a lot. Trying to squeeze Kevin Knox in there if I can, but I’m going to see."
Then, there was this response when someone asked about his competition because Quade Green (Kentucky) said the same thing about Bamba and so did Wendell Carter (Duke):
We’re all good guys, but I got an upperhand on Mo, I think. So…" he ended with a smile.
1) What I found very interesting is that not only did Coleman say he's watched Texas games this season, the Longhorns' performances this year might have helped their cause with Coleman. The four-star point guard discussed watching Texas and seeing that he could bring to Texas exactly what it needs right now, which is what Shaka Smart has been telling him all along.
Coleman spoke highly of Texas' potential players, and noted that Dylan Osetkowski is a "beast."
2) As we reported for months, Coleman said he really struggled and went back-and-forth with this decision for a long time, which his father echoed as well. Smart's commitment to Coleman and the opportunity at Texas to make an impact won out, as did the relationships Coleman built up with Texas staff members for years.
I asked about Smart keeping it real with Coleman and consistently telling Coleman he could come in and make an impact right away, and the newest UT commitment joked, "he had to keep it real that way because it's what he's been telling me for five years."
He said he finally came to the decision last week and kept it under wraps. Duke recruited him until the end.
3) Looking back at his visits, Coleman said his official to Texas was his best visit. He loved the city, and also noted that Texas' attention to detail on the visit really stood out. When he first arrived on campus, all the coaches were there to greet him.
4) Was pretty cool to see five-star point guard, and Kentucky signee Quade Green come up to Coleman after his decision and give him a hug, and took a picture with Coleman and Coleman's father. Coleman is a player a lot of the elite guys in his class really respect.
I could tell Coleman was frustrated with not making the McDonald's All-American Game and he said guys like Green, Trevon Duval, and others wanted to make a protest to get Coleman into the game.
5) I thought Coleman played well despite his team coming up short. He showed a mid-range jumper, connected on the only three he took, ran the team well when Billy Preston wasn't throwing it out of rhythm, defended, and had about seven assists by my count with just two turnovers.
From the last time I've seen him, he's gotten stronger, grown a little bit, and his shot looks like it's improved some. Coleman is always talking on the floor, and he does the little things as a floor general that Texas needs, like when he found rolling picks out of a pick-and-roll, drove and kicked to the open opposite corner, dropped the ball inside when there was a mismatch, and found a third option on the opposite wing out of a ballscreen and drive.
6) Coleman said he's already started recruiting other guys, including five-stars Mohamed Bamba and Brian Bowen, who took official visits to Texas. Coleman also added in that he's working on getting five-star Kevin Knox to start considering Texas too.
It sounded like Coleman genuinely believes that Texas has a good shot with Bamba, and that Bamba was waiting to see what Coleman's college decision was.
EDIT - Here's the quote from Coleman:
"I’m working real hard," he said when asked about recruiting Mohamed Bamba. "I’m working on Mo (Bamba) and Brian Bowen a lot. Trying to squeeze Kevin Knox in there if I can, but I’m going to see."
Then, there was this response when someone asked about his competition because Quade Green (Kentucky) said the same thing about Bamba and so did Wendell Carter (Duke):
We’re all good guys, but I got an upperhand on Mo, I think. So…" he ended with a smile.
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