Interview with Justin Coleman
Justin Coleman recently popped up on the blog as one of the prospects on UK's radar that the casual fan was most likely unaware of. This weekend I was able to catch up with Coleman and speak to him a bit about where he stands right now and what he has planned for the future. Below are a few highlights from that discussion.
DR: Can you just tell me a little bit about being one of the "under the radar" kids and then blowing up a little bit and getting to the point where you are now? Can you talk about how that experience has been and also about what you feel made you blow up like that?
Justin Coleman: Well it all happened so fast, like I really can't really believe that it is happening right now. Basically, all the schools, they just started calling me once they saw that I could play with the best in the country. I just had to prove myself.
DR: As far as working out and training, what are some of the things that you are doing to improve your physique and your game? What are some of the things you plan on working on this season as well?
Justin Coleman: I go to Huntington Prep (WV) now and we're pretty close to the Marshall [University] campus so I try to work out with the Marshall trainers so that I can get a feel for the college training right now.
DR: What are some of your goals for college both on and off the court?
Justin Coleman: I plan on finishing college and, on the court, I plan on making it to the NCAA tournament.
DR: Speak a little bit about where you are in the recruiting process right now? Have you narrowed down your list at all?
Justin Coleman: No I haven't really narrowed it down yet. There have been a couple of schools who have been contacting me consistently.
DR: Are you okay with giving the names of those schools?
Justin Coleman: Yeah, it's been Marquette, Providence, Arkansas, Baylor, Xavier, Kansas and UConn.
DR: Can you tell me about Kentucky's involvement? I had spoken with you at the NBA Top 100 camp and you had told me that UK had not been real involved with you at that point, so when did they start to get more involved?
Justin Coleman: I'm not sure exactly when they started calling me but it's been a couple months now. I think it was about 2 or 3 weeks after the NBA camp that one of the coaches called and told me that they had interest in me. So since then they've been contacting my AAU coach and they keep in contact with me regularly.
DR: Who from Kentucky is running your recruitment?
Justin Coleman: Coach Antigua
DR: What are the coaches basically telling you as far as how they feel they can utilize you, how you would fit into the system, what kind of things they would like to see you work on?
Justin Coleman: All of them tell me that I have to work on my defense but they said they can use me because my style of play would fit in with their offense and they want me to come down for a visit so I can see how the team plays and see how the campus is and everything.
DR: Have you guys worked on a time frame for when that visit might occur?
Justin Coleman: I really don't know. I told them that I wanted to visit and I told them to call my AAU coach and set it up. So they told me they were going to call him and then call me back but I think they called me and I didn't get to answer my phone so they're probably going to call me later and tell me the date.
DR: What schools have you visited so far?
Justin Coleman: I haven't visited any.
DR: Unofficially you haven't visited any schools?
Justin Coleman: Unofficially, I've visited Virginia Tech, UVa and VCU.
DR: Do you have any favorites as far as a conference you would want to play in?
Justin Coleman: No, I wouldn't say so.
DR: Who has offered you at this point?
Justin Coleman: Arkansas, Providence, Baylor, Marquette, Xavier and I can't really remember all of the schools but that's some.
DR: Among the schools that you have interested in you right now, where would you place UK on that list? Are they a school that you are very interested in? Is it just even or are you less interested in them?
Justin Coleman: I'm very interested in them because they are one of the schools that I grew up looking at on TV and I've dreamed about playing for a big school and they're a pretty big basketball school.
DR: So, you said you watched them growing up. Were you a UK fan growing up in Virginia or did you just watch them?
Justin Coleman: I just watched them. I didn't really have a favorite team or anything.
DR: Is there anything else that you might want to add to further the fans understanding of where your interest level is with UK right now?
Justin Coleman: It depends on how the rest of their season goes because I don't want to go to a bad school. Like if they lost a lot of their players then I guess they would drop on my list, I guess, but if most of their players stayed then it's a likely chance that I could go there.
DR: Can you just tell me a little bit about being one of the "under the radar" kids and then blowing up a little bit and getting to the point where you are now? Can you talk about how that experience has been and also about what you feel made you blow up like that?
Justin Coleman: Well it all happened so fast, like I really can't really believe that it is happening right now. Basically, all the schools, they just started calling me once they saw that I could play with the best in the country. I just had to prove myself.
DR: As far as working out and training, what are some of the things that you are doing to improve your physique and your game? What are some of the things you plan on working on this season as well?
Justin Coleman: I go to Huntington Prep (WV) now and we're pretty close to the Marshall [University] campus so I try to work out with the Marshall trainers so that I can get a feel for the college training right now.
DR: What are some of your goals for college both on and off the court?
Justin Coleman: I plan on finishing college and, on the court, I plan on making it to the NCAA tournament.
DR: Speak a little bit about where you are in the recruiting process right now? Have you narrowed down your list at all?
Justin Coleman: No I haven't really narrowed it down yet. There have been a couple of schools who have been contacting me consistently.
DR: Are you okay with giving the names of those schools?
Justin Coleman: Yeah, it's been Marquette, Providence, Arkansas, Baylor, Xavier, Kansas and UConn.
DR: Can you tell me about Kentucky's involvement? I had spoken with you at the NBA Top 100 camp and you had told me that UK had not been real involved with you at that point, so when did they start to get more involved?
Justin Coleman: I'm not sure exactly when they started calling me but it's been a couple months now. I think it was about 2 or 3 weeks after the NBA camp that one of the coaches called and told me that they had interest in me. So since then they've been contacting my AAU coach and they keep in contact with me regularly.
DR: Who from Kentucky is running your recruitment?
Justin Coleman: Coach Antigua
DR: What are the coaches basically telling you as far as how they feel they can utilize you, how you would fit into the system, what kind of things they would like to see you work on?
Justin Coleman: All of them tell me that I have to work on my defense but they said they can use me because my style of play would fit in with their offense and they want me to come down for a visit so I can see how the team plays and see how the campus is and everything.
DR: Have you guys worked on a time frame for when that visit might occur?
Justin Coleman: I really don't know. I told them that I wanted to visit and I told them to call my AAU coach and set it up. So they told me they were going to call him and then call me back but I think they called me and I didn't get to answer my phone so they're probably going to call me later and tell me the date.
DR: What schools have you visited so far?
Justin Coleman: I haven't visited any.
DR: Unofficially you haven't visited any schools?
Justin Coleman: Unofficially, I've visited Virginia Tech, UVa and VCU.
DR: Do you have any favorites as far as a conference you would want to play in?
Justin Coleman: No, I wouldn't say so.
DR: Who has offered you at this point?
Justin Coleman: Arkansas, Providence, Baylor, Marquette, Xavier and I can't really remember all of the schools but that's some.
DR: Among the schools that you have interested in you right now, where would you place UK on that list? Are they a school that you are very interested in? Is it just even or are you less interested in them?
Justin Coleman: I'm very interested in them because they are one of the schools that I grew up looking at on TV and I've dreamed about playing for a big school and they're a pretty big basketball school.
DR: So, you said you watched them growing up. Were you a UK fan growing up in Virginia or did you just watch them?
Justin Coleman: I just watched them. I didn't really have a favorite team or anything.
DR: Is there anything else that you might want to add to further the fans understanding of where your interest level is with UK right now?
Justin Coleman: It depends on how the rest of their season goes because I don't want to go to a bad school. Like if they lost a lot of their players then I guess they would drop on my list, I guess, but if most of their players stayed then it's a likely chance that I could go there.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard