Coleman just playing basketball, not focused on records
By FRED KRONER
Grant Coleman is not a basketball player who focuses on records and individual milestones.
The Mahomet-Seymour senior was not immediately aware of the significance of the game he had on Tuesday at Mattoon.
He knew he had scored 44 points – that knowledge was hard to miss thanks to an electronic scoreboard that updates point totals instantaneously – but other than being his career high, the magnitude of his accomplishment wasn’t clear to him until two days after the fact.
After school on Thursday, he learned that his 44-point performance had broken the all-time M-S single-game scoring record.
“One of the teachers (Nic DiFilippo) congratulated me and told me it was a record,” Coleman said.
Bulldog coach Ryan Bosch wasn’t keeping the information from his standout, but was planning to address it to the entire team at practice. He had given his squad the day off on Wednesday, so Thursday’s workout was the team’s first since the Mattoon game.
“This time of year, you try to find ways to get a little rest for the guys and get as healthy and strong as you can,” Bosch said.
Coleman’s record-setting night started with a 17-point first quarter. He had 39 points after three quarters and was on the bench when the fourth period began.
“I kept asking Bosch to put me back in,” Coleman said.
The coach’s initial reaction was to keep his starters on the bench.
“We had a strange lineup out there and hoped that we’d pull away,” Bosch said. “Mattoon went on a little run against our subs. We put him back in to settle things down.”
Coleman, a Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit, scored a basket in transition to cement his first 40-point game.
Shortly thereafter, Coleman said, “we had a steal. I went to the left wing. Cole Lener had the ball and everyone ran away from me.”
Lener delivered the ball to Coleman, who drained a three-pointer, raising his game total to 44.
The previous single-game M-S scoring record of 43 points was set by senior Steve Rinkel in 1972 in a regional tournament game against Saybrook-Arrowsmith.
Coleman didn’t have a chance to add to his record.
“The next play, Coach took me out,” he said.
“That final three broke Mattoon’s spirit,” Bosch said.
M-S settled down and left town with a 73-37 victory. Coleman and the other starters were spectators for most of the final five minutes.
Coleman has learned not to anticipate how he will play based on warmups.
“I’ve had warmups where I shot well, then had bad games,” he said. “It wasn’t a great warmup (on Tuesday). You can’t really tell.”
Bosch anticipated that Coleman was ready for a special game and not just because it was at the same location where he scored 35 points in his regular-season finale as a junior.
“Traditionally, when he has had a game or two where he has struggled, he has responded fairly well,” Bosch said. “He had been frustrated, getting good shots that rimmed out on him.
“I thought this would be a chance for him to cut loose.”
In Coleman’s two previous games, played on Friday and Saturday last week, he was a combined 11-for-36 from the field, 4-for-16 on three-pointers and 2-for-8 from the free throw line.
Against Mattoon, he nailed 16-of-24 shots from the field, 5-of-7 three-pointers and 7-of-9 free throws in 24 minutes of court time.
“I hit my first shot,” Coleman said, “and that gave me confidence.
“My teammates got me the ball and I kept shooting.”
In the Tuesday game, 18 of 25 M-S baskets were credited with assists. Lener had a game-high eight assists.
The Bulldogs recognized that Coleman had the hot hand and, Bosch said, “we called a couple of things in his direction.”
Coleman said it was fitting that his record-breaking shot came from long distance.
“A lot of my game is on the perimeter,” he said. “I like to step out and hit threes. I’m enjoying how I’m playing.”
Bosch doesn’t mind seeing Coleman away from the basket.
“I saw at an early age how smooth his jump shot is,” Bosch said. “I’ve always seen that potential.”
Coleman is comfortable in games played away from his homecourt.
“I feed off the crowd a lot,” he said. “Every time we’re on the road, it feels like the world is against us, and we play well.
“Mattoon has a good crowd. They give me energy.”
M-S (9-8) is scheduled to return to action Friday night at home against Effingham, weather permitting.
Bosch believes the Tuesday win – which snapped a two-game losing streak – could be a game-changer.
“I think that reaffirmed that we can be a special team,” Bosch said.
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Coleman has eclipsed the 30-point mark in four games as a senior, raising his career point total to 1,217.
He is 39 points from surpassing Conner Diedrich and moving into the all-time top five for M-S career scorers. The Bulldogs have a minimum of 14 games left in their season.
Coleman, who is averaging 21.9 points per game, doesn’t expect to feel extra pressure.
“I’ll put this one behind me and go out and try to get the win,” he said.
After reflecting on his historic game, Coleman added, “there have been a lot of good players come through here. That was a special moment, really special.”
Bosch won’t soon forget the scoring outburst he witnessed on Tuesday.
“It was a great performance and I was lucky enough to have a pretty good view of it,” he said.
