Coleman’s Commitment – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/16/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
February 16, 1999
by Christy Calloway
Athletics Communications
Commitment. It is defined as a pledge to do something.
But how does a person continue to commit when times are tough? It takes a dedicated, strong-willed person to ignore the hearsay and devote their time to achieve excellence through adversity.
For senior guard Neshaun Coleman, his career at Ohio State has been difficult. People who know him, know he is not a quitter or a follower, but a fighter and a leader.
“It’s been tough these past four years,” Coleman said. “I think this season capped off everything we’ve worked hard for.”
When Coleman joined the Buckeyes in 1995, former head coach Randy Ayers was having difficulties with more losses than wins and conduct problems from some of the players. When coach Jim O’Brien arrived, the coaching staff began making adjustments with the Buckeye personnel. This left Coleman and classmate Jason Singleton as the only remaining players from the 1995 recruiting class.
“We came here with a great bunch of guys,” he said. “Unfortunately their gone, but it has worked out for the best.”
With the changes in full swing, it was time to rebuild the program from scratch. One of O’Brien’s first steps was to implement a new system that would create a winning attitude.
“These players needed to understand what it took to be successful, because they didn’t know,” O’Brien said.
That was last year when the Buckeyes finished the season with an 8-22 overall record. This year the team has an overall record of 19-6 (as of 2/16), and 9-3 in the Big Ten and second-place in the league standings. Coleman is excited about the team’s performance this year and believes there is no limit to how far they could go in regular-season play.
“It’s a complete turnaround since I’ve been here,” he said. “Everyone is a lot more aggressive and tuned into what we have to do to win.”
Aggressiveness has been the key to the Buckeye’s success this year, but as Coleman puts it, the “monkey” is off our back. “We’ve been in a losing position since I’ve been here and so many times we’ve let it slip away,” he said. “I’m glad that I’ve been a part of this turnaround”
At the start of the season, the team and coaching staff sat down and brainstormed about what they would accomplish this year. One of those goals was to pull themselves together and disregard the stigma that followed them since last year.
“We set goals at the beginning of the season to win more games than last year,” Coleman said. “We’ve definitely accomplished that. Now we just want to keep playing as hard as we can and win the next game that we play.”
Last year, Coleman started 27 games and played in all 30, but because of a knee injury suffered during the Toledo game at beginning of this season, he has spent less time on the court.
“It’s been tough but we’ve been winning,” he said. “It offsets the anxiety I have for not playing. I have no complaints.”
Since the Toledo game, Coleman’s knee hasn’t given him any problems, which places him in an active role at game time.
“I’ve been playing pretty well,” Coleman said. “The knee is better and he (O’Brien) puts me in to play aggressive defense and hit the open shots.”
Coleman has taken advantage of his opportunities. During a five-game stretch heading into the Indiana game earlier this week, Coleman had connected on 11 of 22 three-point attempts. He is one of the best long range shooters in Ohio State history, ranking second in both three-pointers made (136) and attempted (405).
In the second meeting between OSU and Purdue, Coleman starting the second half. He scored two crucial three-pointers as the Buckeyes rallied for the victory.
“Now that he’s playing a little bit better, he deserves an opportunity,” O’Brien said. “If he’s going to be able to make some shots, it’s only going to help us.”
At game time, Coleman has a cheering section that consists of his family, friends and reporters from his hometown, Toledo, Ohio.
“The people from Toledo have always been supportive of my career here,” he said. “It feels good to hear everyone cheer for me when I’m out there. I’m glad I have that support.”
One of three team captains this season, his role has been to provide insight to the younger guys and prepare the team for upcoming games. Even after he was told that he would see less playing time this season, Coleman has been unselfish and the most supportive of his teammates. “Neshaun deserves an awful lot of credit,” O’Brien said. “He has not played a whole lot, but he has been as supportive as anybody we have on the team.”
“I’m a mature person,” Coleman said. ” Some things in life you can’t get, so accept what you can and try to make the best of it.”
After a prosperous basketball career at Ohio State, Coleman plans to graduate in the fall with a degree in sociology. His plans for the future are undecided, but for now his options are open with or without basketball.
“It’s been great playing here. I have no regrets,” he said. “Since it’s my last year, I just wanted to come out and play the best that I could.”
