When it comes to ball-handling, Noel Coleman grew up doing it the right way.
“It’s kind of weird,” Coleman said, “I’m left-handed, but I prefer to dribble with my right hand. I don’t know how that happened. From when I was little, it always seemed that way.”
He is left-handed when it comes to holding a fork, brushing his teeth, writing, and shooting a basketball. “But I throw a baseball with my right hand,” he said. “I can’t throw with my left. It’s kind of weird how that works.”
Coleman has used that complexity to his advantage. In a recent exhibition, a defender shaded to Coleman’s left. Coleman then speed dribbled to the right for an unobstructed layup. “It confuses them,” Coleman said. “It’s a good thing.”
Coleman’s background also is unique in how a native of Belgium —best known for waffles, chocolate and beer — found his way into the ’Bows’ backcourt.
“I asked myself that a lot of times,” Coleman said. “Five years ago, ‘Where do I see myself at this point?’ I had no idea it would be here in Hawaii. But I just kind of ended up here.”
Coleman said he was introduced to the sport through an older brother. “My mom wanted me to follow in his footsteps and play the sport as well,” Coleman recalled. “At first it was kind of to stay active, but then my love for the game grew more and more.”
And then when he was 14, he discovered a second love. While visiting a cousin in Florida, Coleman said, “that’s when I loved America. My love for America grew. That’s when I told myself I wanted to live here eventually.”
Coleman, who was reared in the French-speaking part of Belgium, learned English from his father, who was born in Nigeria, and from the big screen and DVDs. “I used to watch a lot of Will Smith and Adam Sandler movies,” he said. “Those were my favorite actors at the time. I believe I learned English from that.”
Coleman committed to the University of San Diego. But after playing in 24 games as freshman in 2019-20, he decided to transfer to UH. “It was the connection,” Coleman said, a partial reference to now former assistant coach Chris Gerlufsen, who a year earlier made the move from San Diego to UH. “I didn’t fit into (the Toreros’) playing style, and their playing style didn’t fit into how I played basketball. I feel it kind of shows here in Hawaii that I kind of fit into how (the ’Bows) play and how they need me.”
At 6 feet 2 and with a 40-inch vertical jump, Coleman is an accurate passer who also can post up opposing point guards. At off guard, Coleman can scoot past defenders off the dribble — with either hand — or swish shots from behind the arc. “He’s a silent assassin,” coach Eran Ganot said, noting Coleman’s 39.1% aim on 3s last season.
NO. PLAYER CL HT WT HOMETOWN
0 Junior Madut Jr. 6-6 175 Sydney, Australia
Team-high 98 3-point attempts for wing/guard
1 Amoro Lado So. 6-2 175 Nampa, Idaho
2-time Idaho state player of the year at Vallivue High
3 JoVon McClanahan So. 5-10 175 Vallejo, Calif.
23.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 6.3 apg in lone JC season in 2019-20
4 Noel Coleman So. 6-1 175 Leopoldsburg, Belgium
Shot better on 3s (40.5%) than 2s (36.7%) in Big West games
55 Juan Munoz Sr. 6-0 170 Morrisville, N.C.
Longwood transfer wears 55 in tribute to idol Jason Williams
