Texas' top point guard target made his decision - he's a Longhorn

SPRINGFIELD, MA. - Before this season began, Shaka Smart admitted his roster lacked a true point guard, and it’s shown this season. Next season Smart won’t be able to say that because today his point guard question received the answer he’s spent basically half of his head coaching career recruiting.

In the midst of a season that could use some positive news, the Longhorns received an enormous, program-altering boost Monday morning when Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) 2017 point guard Matt Coleman committed to Texas over Duke live on ESPNU. Coleman and his Oak Hill teammates are set to play Nathan Hale (Washington) coming up at 12:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

Coleman, rated as the No. 35 prospect overall in the 2017 Rivals150, became the fourth member of Texas’ recruiting class, and joined power forward Jericho Sims (Cristo Rey Jesuit; Minneapolis, Minnesota), forward Royce Hamm (Benjamin Davis; Aldine), and shooting guard Jase Febres (Westfield; Spring), who have all signed with Texas already. Coleman gives Texas its fourth Rivals150 member, four-star prospect, and is the third prospect rated in the top 65 overall.

In addition to Texas and Duke, Coleman also received offers from by the likes of Kansas, Stanford, Arizona, Baylor, Connecticut, Indiana, NC State, Virginia, and others. However, once Duke jumped into the race for real with an offer the first week of September and an official visit shortly after that, Coleman’s recruitment became a tough Duke-Texas battle with Stanford, who received the third official visit, a distant third. Duke made its big push early hoping to enter late and land Coleman, but the 6-1 lefty remained uncommitted for months after his official visits.

As time went on, Texas’ very long relationship with Coleman, who is very close to former VCU point guard Briante Weber, a four-year player under Smart that broke into the NBA last season, allowed it to win out because there two of the absolute main things Coleman valued: trust in a head coach and coaching staff, and playing time.

“Am I going to come in right away and get the ball in my hands?” he said to the Courier-Journal in July when asked about the key determining factors, and “Can I trust him? “Can he trust me?” regarding the relationship with his future coach.

In an October story from USA Basketball with DevilsIllustrated.com, Coleman echoed a similar sentiment: “The guys that play around you and the trust in the coach,” said Coleman about key factors when evaluating schools. “The coach that’s willing to let you play, let you make mistakes and he trusts you that you can grow from them - that’s really big.”

Coleman, like any competitor, wants to win big, and turning down an ACC power in his region (he’s originally from Norfolk, Virginia). However, credit Shaka Smart and Director of Program Development Mike Morrell, who spent years recruiting Coleman at VCU and was the point-man on the 6-1 lefty before his shift in title, for sticking to their guns – Coleman was truly the only point guard Texas strongly recruited in the 2017 cycle.

Today, they were rewarded for that in a gigantic way.

PROSPECT ANALYSIS
In an era of basketball where they’re hard to find, Coleman is a true point guard that takes the floor with the mindset and skill-set to enhance the play of his teammates and get them the basketball. A lightning-quick lefthanded guard, Coleman controls pace and tempo very well, and is adept at picking-and-choosing when to turn on the jets and when to pull the ball back; his instincts really show in that area.

He’s a talented, willing passer, and also a solid slasher that flashes some crafty finishing ability, and a developing mid-range jumper with balance and elevation; both have improved over his senior season, especially the ability to get into the paint and finish. Shooting from deep is probably a weakness right now, but it’s improved noticeably since April. Coleman does display a fairly compact, quick release that suggests with more reps the shooting will improve. In the future, he should be a guard that’s outside shot has to be acknowledged and respected.

What stands out most about the Virginia native, though, is the mental makeup on the floor. He’s wired like a leader and a floor general, and the kind of one that could immediately become one of his team’s leaders when he steps on a college campus as a freshman. Coleman is very talkative on the hardwood, and extremely competitive. During the two USA U18 Basketball camps that OB covered, players gravitated toward the four-star point guard, and the moment he arrived in Colorado Springs, Colorado prior to a camp, he went straight to the gym from the airport to get work in.

Defensively, he can defend guards the length of the floor, and his instincts allow him to make aggressive plays on the basketball in the half-court and full-court.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR TEXAS
Well, Coleman picking Texas is arguably the biggest commitment the Texas Basketball program has received since Kevin Durant selected the Longhorns back in June of 2005.

Is Coleman the best, highest rated prospect that has picked Texas since then? No. Heck, he’s probably seventh on that list among Texas commitments since 2007. However, consider where the program is right now:

Smart is in his second year trying to establish a foundation and culture with a young team that lost five seniors and Isaiah Taylor the year prior. Everyone knows that the Longhorns desperately need a point guard, and Smart and company like Coleman so much they recruited him for years as the only point guard target for this class. This is the kind of commitment that can elevate a program under a new coach to new heights. The four-star point guard is, literally, the missing link to the Texas roster.

Coleman is the type of player that’s going to be in a program three to four years, and has the kind of personality that can lead a program. The most important position is basketball is set for multiple years, and Coleman will be surrounded by a group of players that fit him extremely well. A roster that's going to include Andrew Jones, Kerwin Roach, Jr., Eric Davis, Jr., Dylan Osetkowski, Jarrett Allen (not for certain, but projected to stay at this point), and others, along with talented incoming freshmen class, will be in a position to be better players because of what Coleman brings.

Texas landing Coleman is going to help it in its pursuit of 2017 five-star big Mohamed Bamba. The two visited Texas together, played on the USA Basketball U18 Team under Smart together, and word behind the scenes is that Coleman has enough sway to potentially impact Bamba's decision. If Texas is able to land Bamba to finalize the class, it would make the class one of the top five best in the country.

Coleman isn't going to make the immediate impact on the floor of a Durant or a Tristan Thompson. However, his effect on the program is going to be felt significantly for years, and will make the players around him better.

Plus, this shows that Smart's process is on the right track, and heading towards a significantly better 2017-18 season.