Coleman was raised in Detroit and played basketball for Flint Northern High School. He played against the likes of Big Ten stars Terry Mills and Steve Smith before moving on to Syracuse for college. At Syracuse, Coleman set the Big East record for career rebounds and was named conference player of the year in 1990.
Recently, The Michigan Daily's Josh Kleinbaum had a chance to catch up with Coleman and talk about his career, Detroit basketball and even a little Michigan hoops.
|
Coleman: Yeah, definitely.
D: What did you think of Syracuse's season this year?
C: We had a terrible year this year. We went from the Final Four to losing in the first round of the NIT. There's no reason for it, but we'll bounce back, though.
D: Did you see any of Michigan's games in the NIT?
C: Yeah, I'm a Michigan fan. In the summertime, I play with Trac (Michigan sophomore center Robert Traylor) and (recent Michigan forward) Maurice (Taylor) and those guys. So I still follow it.
D: What was the basketball environment like in Detroit when you were in high school?
C: No. 1 hoops spot in America as far as all the talent and all the players we had coming out of school when I was in school. It was pretty much balanced. Everyone had two or three good players on their team. It was tough, night in and night out.
D: Do you still keep in touch with any of the players you played against?
C: Oh, yeah. I still keep in touch with Terry (Mills), Steve (Smith), and Shawn Respert. We all keep in contact with each other over the course of the year.
D: Do you think that when you play against each other now it is any more competitive, because you've been playing each other for so long?
C: It's still competitive, whether we're playing summer league, pickup, or like we're playing against each other now.
D: You spend some of your summers coaching high school players in Detroit. Can you tell me a little about that?
C: In the summertime, I come home. My high school coach used to do it, but when I was in college, it really kind of got big. Steve (Smith), he was going to Michigan State, and he used to coach Pershing, and I used to coach Northern, so it was a rivalry in high school. It's just something I've continued to do. I enjoy it. It's a lot of fun. It gives the kids an opportunity to just go out and play and have fun.
D: Do you talk to any of them about where they should go to play college ball?
C: No, I've never even discussed that.
D: There's been a trend lately of players leaving college early to come to the NBA. You stayed at Syracuse all four years. If you had an opportunity to talk to players considering leaving early for the NBA, what would you say?
C: I'd tell them to fulfill their dreams. It's a different opportunity for different people. I enjoyed college when I was there, but who's to say it's for everybody? If that's how they feel like they want to do, then go out and fulfill your dream. If your main goal was to go out and play in the NBA, and that's what you've been striving for, and a good opportunity permits itself, then by all means, do it.
D: What basketball players did you look up to when you were a kid?
C: George Gervin and Dr. J. Those were my two favorites.
D: What do you think you've learned from watching them play?
C: I don't think I've really learned too much. I just go out and try to emulate the things that they do.
D: What basketball players now do you look up to?
C: No one.
D: What was your most memorable basketball experience?
C: Probably Dream Team II. We had a lot of fun doing it. All the kinds that were there, we really had a chance to sit down and really hang out with each other.
It was great. I had a lot of fun doing that. It was probably one of my best experiences.
D: What did it feel like to win the gold medal?
C: After we won, we were having a big party. Some of my friends were there, and some of Steve (Smith)'s friends were there from home, and one of the guys said, "You know what man, it's funny. You go from the ghetto to a gold medal."
And it never really dawned on me that he was right, and that's exactly what happened. Growing up in Detroit, with all the different avenues that you can take, having some people in your life put you on the right path and winning a gold medal.
It was very cool.
D: Were you recruited by Michigan?
C: Yeah.
D: Why did you choose Syracuse?
C: To get away from home, a different atmosphere.
D: This year, you have a potential superstar on your team in Allen Iverson. Do you think it helps your game at all playing with him?
C: I think it helps everybody's game. Allen is just so quick on both ends of the court. It's just a learning experience for him.
As the year goes on, he's gotten better, and I just think he's going to get even better every time he steps out onto the court.
D: In 1995, you were traded from the Nets to the '76ers. How would you compare the two teams?
C: I don't, not at all.
D: Was the transition easy?
C: Oh, yeah, the transition was that I go right down the turnpike. I didn't have to move that far.