When LSU takes on Seton Hall in the Big East-SEC Challenge on Thursday night in the PMAC, junior forward Shavon Coleman will be facing a challenge of his own.
Coleman, who stands at 6-foot-5, is relatively undersized for a post player, and he will be battling a handful of Seton Hall (5-1) forwards who top 6-foot-9.
“It’s kind of tough because everybody is bigger and stronger,” Coleman said. “I try to use all my might to try to push them off the block. If I can’t do that, I just try to front and use my arms and length.”
But being undersized hasn’t stopped Coleman from leading the Tigers (4-0) in scoring with 17.3 points per game this season, even as the Tigers’ sixth man. While his post moves stand out, Coleman has also shot better than 57 percent from behind the arc, knocking down 4-of-7 3-pointers.
Though Coleman isn’t the biggest player on the floor, he shows a knack for securing tough rebounds, averaging 8.0 per game. He said his desire to rebound comes naturally, and he credited his mentality as the key for his dominance on the boards.
“[Rebounds are] something you can be selfish on,” Coleman said. “… When you see the ball, you want to go get the rebound and get up and down the court.”
Coleman’s path to success at LSU didn’t play out as easily as his rebounding. He was a prized recruit coming out of Thibodaux High in Thibodaux, La., but grades forced him to take a two-year detour to Howard College in Big Spring, Texas.
Former LSU coach Trent Johnson pursued Coleman to sign with the Tigers during his time in junior college, but Coleman was still considering a handful of other schools such as Texas Tech and Oregon State. Coleman said he chose LSU because of current coach Johnny Jones’ persistence coupled with his family’s urging for him to play close to home.
“I always wanted to play at LSU,” Coleman said. “When coach Johnny Jones gave me a call, I was surprised. He just kept calling me.”
Jones acknowledged that signing Coleman was one of his top priorities when he was hired by LSU.
When sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III went down with a lower left leg injury this season, Jones gave Coleman the nod to start in his place against McNeese State. Coleman responded with a resounding 25 points and 10 rebounds, and his big play continued with a 22-point outing against Northwestern State and another double-double against Mississippi Valley State.
Since O’Bryant’s return, Coleman has settled into his role as the Tigers’ sixth man. Coleman and the rest of the bench have done some damage this season, recently tallying 46 of the Tigers’ 75 points in their win against Mississippi Valley State.
“I think any time guys come off [the bench], you want to look for some type of spark, and those guys have been able to give us that night in and night out,” Jones said.
The Seton Hall game will be aired on ESPNU, and Jones said he’s hopeful that he’s prepared his players for the pressure of playing on national television.
“It means a lot to me,” Coleman said. “… It’s a real big thing to play [in] a Big East and SEC challenge. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”
LSU junior forward Shavon Coleman (5) leaves UCSB sophomore center Lewis Thomas (15) looking on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 in the 77-63 win over the University of California, Santa Barbara in the PMAC as he scores two of his six points.
