Two-sport star Keon Coleman commits to Michigan State
OPELOUSAS, La. (BVM) — Earlier this month, Opelousas Catholic two-sport standout Keon Coleman signed a letter of intent to play basketball and football at Michigan State University.
— 𝓚𝓔𝓞𝓝 𝓒𝓞𝓛𝓔𝓜𝓐𝓝 (@keoncoleman6) June 24, 2020
“He’s a kid that is immensely talented,” Opelousas Catholic head football coach Thomas David said. “But I think his strong suit is the fact that he’s driven. He has a great work ethic, and I think if he continues to have that mindset, the ceiling is extremely high for him in both sports.”
Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 200 pounds, Coleman was a force on the gridiron these last two seasons as Viking. He played both ways, but he significantly impacted the offensive side as a wide receiver. In his junior and senior seasons, Coleman caught 63 passes for 1,743 yards and crossed the goal line 30 times.
“Really, I was a basketball player [first],” Coleman said. “Then I started playing football in high school, and I just kept going with both. After my junior [football] season, I was getting football offers, and then I started to get a little bit [more] of both [basketball and football offers]. I was like, shoot; I could really do this and play [both]!”
In addition to his success on the football field, Coleman has also been dominating the basketball court. Many high school kids play multiple sports during their high school years, but Coleman takes it to the next level when basketball season rolls around. This year, Coleman is averaging 30.8 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. He is also a menace on the defensive end, stealing the ball six times per game.
“He finds new ways to impress you with things he does. He makes everything look so easy, even at practice,” Opelousas Catholic head basketball coach Jeff Dupre said. “[The strongest part of his game is] seeing the game happen before it happens. He’s not a football player playing basketball; he is truly a basketball player. He sees things way before everybody else.”
His final season as Viking has also been a special one because he recently became the school’s all-time scoring leader. Just a week ago, Coleman surpassed 2,300 points at Opelousas Catholic. He’ll be looking to build upon his record now as basketball season winds down.
“It means a lot,” Keon Coleman said. “To this point, it’s taken a lot of hard work.”
Blessed to be the all time leading scorer in OPELOUSAS CATHOLIC School history 2300 and counting ‼️🆙 pic.twitter.com/Lwcrop4eo3
— 𝓚𝓔𝓞𝓝 𝓒𝓞𝓛𝓔𝓜𝓐𝓝 (@keoncoleman6) February 9, 2021
With his success on the court and the field, it has become abundantly clear that Coleman has the talent to succeed at both sports. And he isn’t the only athlete to play both sports at MSU. There are two notable athletes to play multiple sports during their collegiate career as Spartans. One of those athletes was Detroit Tiger and Los Angeles Dodger legend Kirk Gibson. He played football and baseball for the Spartans. Another two-sport athlete was Andre Rison, who caught Brett Favre’s first TD pass in Super Bowl XXXI. He was a star on the football field, but he also lettered in basketball and track.
When Coleman steps onto campus this fall, he’ll be part of an athletic program that has sent off countless athletes to the professional levels. But in the long run, he is still remaining focused on finishing his career at Opelousas Catholic and leaving a legacy that will be remembered for a long time.
“I can’t wait to meet all my teammates,” Coleman stated. “I’m ready to get started so we can go win a championship.”
