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It didn’t take long for new LSU men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones to dip into the Tri-parish talent pool to restock his roster.
In his first week on the job, the coach announced that he had received a signed National Letter of Intent from Howard College guard and former Thibodaux High School star Shavon Coleman.
A 6-foot-6-inch two-guard, the future Tiger said it’s a dream come true to officially be in line to play major college ball.
“It’s a good feeling,” Coleman said. “It feels good to be a Tiger again. I was one in high school and to be able to call LSU my future home, it’s just a special feeling.”
His prep coach agreed and said the entire Thibodaux community is ready to see one of their own play at the highest amateur level.
“We’re so happy for him,” Thibodaux boys’ basketball coach Tony Clark said. “We’re all proud of him for what he’s doing. … We’re just excited to go and see as many of his games as we can.”
Tri-parish prep basketball fans already know that Coleman knows his way around a basketball court.
The lanky, but athletic standout averaged 28 points and 13 rebounds per game for Thibodaux as a senior.
His success in his final season came after he averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior.
With Thibodaux, Coleman played primarily inside, but the Tigers did use him at a variety of positions.
That ability to be flexible will be a huge asset at the college level.
“He’s very, very versatile,” Clark said. “He played all five positions here for us. Being able to do that and play both inside and out will be a big plus for him.”
Jones agreed with Clark’s assessment and said Coleman would likely be relied upon early in his career in Baton Rouge.
“He has a knack for scoring,” Jones said. “He is a great defender and he can create other opportunities for the players on the floor with him. We look forward to his competitiveness moving this team forward in the future.”
Coleman’s collegiate journey is not a road perfectly paved.
The Tri-parish native was ranked as recruiting website Rivals.com’s No. 97-ranked player in America during his senior season.
He committed to the University of Louisiana-Monroe early in his senior season – a commitment that stuck throughout the year.
But Coleman enrolled at Howard Junior College in Big Spring, Texas because of eligibility issues.
“He had to get his academics in order,” Clark said. “He wasn’t able to go to a bigger school out of high school because he wasn’t qualified grade-wise to play.”
The delay may have ended up being a blessing in disguise.
With Howard, Coleman got his academic situation resolved and he’s now able to compete for any Division I program in the country.
He said his time in junior college has made him a better person.
“I became better in my school work and on my books,” Coleman said. “In high school, I didn’t really take things as serious as I really needed to. Junior college taught me to have that dedication to my books, because without my books, there was no way I could get to Division I. I changed my life around and just became a more mature person, you know? I just needed to grow up.
“Being in Thibodaux, right there, I was just around all of my friends and I did everything I wanted. But here in Texas, things have really chilled out. It’s nothing but school and basketball for me.”
He also improved his game and became a more prolific player.
Coleman averaged 14.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore for Howard.
He shot 44 percent from the floor and was peaking as the season went on, scoring 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Junior College Region V Championship Game.
“He improved a lot of things about his game,” Clark said. “With us, he was a good defender, but now he’s even better and he has a chance to be an elite defender. I think LSU’s really going to have a lot of use for a guy like him.”
The Tigers weren’t the only team hot on Coleman’s trail.
The former Tiger said he chose the Tigers over a laundry list of offers that included Oklahoma, Southern Miss, Illinois State and Oregon State.
He said he chose LSU because of a “variety of factors”.
He also confirmed that Oregon State was his runner-up choice.
“I broke it all down on a variety of factors – winning and degree stuff and all of those factors,” Coleman said. “And after I broke it down and talked to my coach about how I felt about each school, LSU came out on top at the end of the day.
Jones’ influence didn’t hurt, either.
Coleman said he’s excited to play for the first-year coach.
“He recruited me from North Texas, so we had already known one another,” Coleman said. “But I like him. He’s a cool guy. Once he got that LSU job, we talked even more and he told me how much he wanted me to go to Baton Rouge.”
So with basketball season still several months away, Coleman said he is excited to return home to showcase his craft.
When he gets here, the party in Thibodaux will likely still be taking place.
A son of the Tri-parishes is now officially an LSU Tiger.
“I know they are all proud,” Coleman said. “I just can’t wait to get back there and play for them like in high school.”
Howard College standout Shavon Coleman poses for his team picture. The former Thibodaux High standout chose LSU as his future destination this week.
