Texas Lands Commitment From Top-40 Recruit Matt Coleman

After cutting his college list down to Duke and Texas, 6-2 PG Matt Coleman ultimately opted to continue his career with Shaka Smart in Austin instead of making the mighty Blue Devils program richer. Coleman, a top-40 prospect in the Class of 2017, plays for national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy. He announced his decision live on ESPNU during the halftime telecast of The Patrick School vs Pace Academy at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield.

From ESPN: 

“It’s the perfect fit,” Coleman told ESPN. “I’m a point guard who makes plays.”

 

Coleman, ranked No. 26 in the ESPN 100, went back and forth between the Longhorns and the Blue Devils over the past few months. Smart, Texas’ head coach, had a relationship with Coleman, a Norfolk, Virginia, native, since his days as the head coach at VCU, and then spent time with him at USA Basketball. But Duke made a push for Coleman early in the fall, pinpointing him as its primary point guard target. He also visited Stanford in the fall.

 

“Shaka’s been recruiting me since the eighth grade when he was at VCU,” Coleman said. “When he got the job at Texas, he called me right away and offered me a scholarship.”

 

Coleman, a 6-foot-1 Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) product, has been considered one of the best point guards in the 2017 class for several years. He’s a talented lefty who is better off the dribble than as a perimeter shooter, but he can get into the lane and is a very good passer. He averaged 12.6 points and 3.2 assists on the Nike EYBL circuit last spring with the Boo Williams AAU program.