Rainbow guard Coleman continues to elevate his game
Nov. 29—In each of his three years as a University of Hawaii basketball player, combo guard Noel Coleman has enjoyed bar hopping.
In each of his three years as a University of Hawaii basketball player, combo guard Noel Coleman has enjoyed bar hopping.
"You've got to raise the bar, " coach Eran Ganot said of Coleman's escalating standards, "jump over the bar, find the next goal, and get the next goal, and get the next goal. He's doing a good job with that. It's fun to watch him grow and gain confidence."
Coleman, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior, has developed into a complete player—and leader—entering Wednesday's game against Texas A &M Commerce in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Tip-off is at 7 :05 p.m.
Coleman leads the'Bows in scoring (17.3 points per game ) and 3-pointers made (16 ) while constructing a 2-to-1 ratio of assists to turnovers.
"It makes it a tougher cover (for opponents ), " Ganot said of Coleman's offensive skills. "You go against shooters and scorers, they're tough. You've got to beat them off the line or make it tough for them. But when you're going against a guy like Noel—who's a scorer and shooter who's now making plays for others—it's a real nightmare cover because he can make the right decisions. And that's where his next jump has been. It's exciting where he's at and where he's headed."
Coleman grew up in Belgium, a natural left-hander whose father made him dribble with his right hand to diversify his drives. After a year at the University of San Diego, he transferred to UH.
"His first step was being a significant rotation player, " Ganot said of Coleman, who averaged 19.8 minutes and 5.8 points on 39.1 % shooting as a first-year'Bow in 2020-21. "Then a starter, then an all-conference player, and then a balanced player."
Last season, Coleman upped his marksmanship to 44 %, including 44.1 % from behind the arc.
"What I realized is it's more of a deal of self confidence, " Coleman said. "I think I gained a lot of confidence last year in myself. I think that helped me a lot in gaining offensive experience."
Coleman is at ease on drives, step-back moves and orbits outside the 3-point stripe. Confidence, Coleman insisted, "goes for everything in life. The more confident you are in your own skills, the better you're going to perform. ... That's the mindset I go into games with."
This season's vision was for speedy Juan Munoz and Coleman to co-direct the quick-cutting offense. After Munoz suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, JoVon McClanahan and Justus Jackson shared the point, with Coleman becoming a secondary passer from the two position and primary defender against an opposing team's best guard. Coleman's controlled aggressiveness and 44-inch vertical jump enable him to defend from the arc to the base line.
"He's a very balanced player because he plays both ends, " Ganot said. "He's a good defensive player."
Coleman suffered an orbital fracture near the end of last season. While he wanted to play wearing a mask, medical staff advised he could incur serious damage if he was struck in the same area. Coleman, who is fully healthy, has not eased his intensity on defense or driving the lane. He has been assessed only three fouls in nearly 200 minutes this season while drawing 4.2 fouls per game. He has converted 81.8 % of his free throws.
"I kind of forgot I ever had that injury when I'm on the court, " Coleman said. "When you start thinking about injuries, that's when you kind of get an injury."
