Saint Mary's Gaels Land Huge Boost With Addition of Minnesota Transfer Joe Coleman

By Paul Seaver
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA Today Sports

On Monday afternoon, news emerged that Minnesota transfer Joe Coleman was off the board and heading to the west coast.

Coleman, a 6-foot-4 guard and Minnesota-native, has committed to the Saint Mary’s Gaels. The news was first reported by both ESPN.

Coming out of Hopkins High School in Minnesota, Coleman was one of the top prospects within the state and in fact, he was one of the top 100 recruits within his high school class. ESPN listed Coleman as the 95th best prospect within the graduating class of 2011.

Regardless, Coleman opted to leave the Golden Gophers program after one season. While Minnesota progresses forward under newly appointed head coach Richard Pitino, the Gaels are getting a great boost with Coleman. A strong guard with tons of hype that spoke for itself during his time at the high school, Coleman is the type of player that can come right in and impact a Saint Mary’s squad that has consistently become an emerging threat out west.

The Gaels will have to replace Matthew Dellavedova in the back court, but Coleman will have to sit out the 2013-14 season barring any sort of NCAA waiver. Coleman will have two years of eligibility remaining when he can suit up for Saint Mary’s prior to the start of the 2014-15 season.

This past year, Coleman averaged 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for a Golden Gophers squad that advanced to the Round of 32.

 

Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS

 

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