With 45 points already in the books, down a point, and 40 seconds left on the clock Coleman glided to the basket, as he had so often done in a 28 point second half against a team that is as good as any in the country. The Tilton star slashed baseline and lofted a finger roll that Winchendon's springy 6'10 shot blocker Khem Birch got his fingertips on.
By the time Winchendon had recovered the ball there was only a four second difference between the shot and game clocks. "Why aren't they fouling?" a Winchendon supporter said to no one in particular. I wasn't sure myself, then again I wasn't as familiar with Gerard as O'neil is.
Coleman baited Winchedon's point guard into a cross court pass, picked it off, and was gone in a blur. The future Friar had a handful of steals that he converted for scores earlier in the night, but with the game on the line Coleman found a cutting teammate for 2 with 14 seconds to play. It was everything that Providence fans hope he becomes under Keno Davis on Smith Hill: alert, unselfish, blazing fast, and clutch.
A night later Coleman and the rest of Friartown watched freshman point guard Vincent Council explode into the open court, hurling no look tosses and perfectly-placed bounce passes as Providence awoke from a sleepy first half to emerge with an easy road win over DePaul.
It was difficult to watch Coleman fly in the open court and regularly blow past the lengthy Eric Ferguson, muscular Devon Saddler, and quick Anthony Ireland and not let your mind wander a year ahead. PC fans love Council for his basketball IQ, speed, and attacking mentality. He might possibly find a basketball soul mate when young Gerard Coleman steps foot on campus next summer.
The Journey: West Roxbury to Tilton
"No one was more upset about our loss to Winchendon than Gerard. He scored 45 points, but would have preferred to score 7 and win," O'neil explained.
Tilton came painfully short against what might have been the best prep team in the country, falling 89-88 in the waning seconds. The loss was crushing for Tilton, but eye-opening for someone covering Providence basketball. I had seen Coleman on four other occassions, but this performance was on another level.
The Gerard Coleman Explosion, as it was dubbed here, should not have been a surprise to anyone following Coleman's high school career. Adam Finkelstein of the New England Recruiting Report is one of the most respected prep hoops minds in New England and noted, "In my mind, Coleman is a top 25 player in the class of 2010. He has played on the biggest exposure stages in the country and has never been slowed offensively."
After catching his first glimpse of him Jonathan Givony, President/Director of Scouting for Draft Express left asking "how is Coleman (only) ranked in the 60s?"
Gerard Coleman is a prep star now. His journey to the Big East started in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.
"During my freshman year at Westie I was playing in a small summer league gym and an assistant coach from BC was there. He came up to me after seeing me play and told me to call him in two years. Right then and there is when I realized that this could really happen."
Things happened quickly for Gerard after that. By the time his junior season at West Roxbury ended he averaged 27 points per game and was perhaps the best player in Massachusetts. That season also marked his last at the school as he headed to the prep rankings, to Tilton to play with Connecticut commits Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel.
The tremendous duo quickly became a "Big 3" and Tilton became a force. Coleman improved individually, "Gerard became an even better passer after coming to Tilton," O'neil stated. "At West Roxbury he didn't play with guys on his level, but playing with other high level guys like Alex was really good for him. It helped him become a good passer and improved his all-around vision."
Tilton's season peaked when it counted the most, in March, when they captured the 2009 National Prep Championship. In a tournament that some claimed they didn't even belong in, Tilton ran through a one loss Hargrave Military Academy team in the finals with Coleman contributing 25 points and being named to the all-tournament first team. It was a win O'neil called, "A total team win and a victory for the entire Tilton community."
Freed from the burden of having to score 30 points in order to win, Coleman improved his all around game and college coaches took notice, including two of the games biggest legends, Jim Calhoun and Rick Pitino, but an ambitious young staff from Providence lingered, even with the big boys calling.
The graduation of Oriakhi and Coombs-McDaniel would mean Gerard would have to shoulder the scoring burden once again, for not only Tilton, but also the trio's AAU team, BABC.
With several showcase events, a camp hosted by an NBA Finals MVP, and that little matter of making his college selection looming, the summer before his senior year was a huge one for Gerard Coleman.
(Part II Coming Thursday night)
