Quentin Coleman

Quentin Coleman
No. 11 – Illinois Fighting Illini
PositionShooting guard
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2008-07-28) July 28, 2008
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolO'Fallon Township
(O'Fallon, Illinois)
Principia School
(Town and Country, Missouri)
CollegeIllinois (2026–present)
Career highlights
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup
Silver medal – second place2026 MexicoTeam

Quentin Coleman (born July 28, 2008) is an American high school basketball player who attends the Principia School in Town and Country, Missouri. One of the top-ranked recruits in the 2026 class, he is committed to playing college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Early life

Coleman initially attended O'Fallon Township High School in O'Fallon, Illinois, where he failed to make the varsity basketball team as a freshman.[1] He then transferred to Principia School in Town and Country, Missouri, where he averaged 10.3 points per game as a sophomore in a sixth man role.[1][2] Coleman broke out in his final two seasons, earning back-to-back Missouri Class AAA Player of the Year honors after leading his team to consecutive Class AAA state championship titles.[3] As a junior, Coleman averaged 19.4 points per game, leading Principia to a 31–1 record and its first-ever state title.[3] He scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 76–56 win over Kipp KC Legacy High School in the state title game.[4][5]

As a senior, Coleman averaged 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game, leading his team to a 29–2 record and their second straight state title.[3] He tallied 50 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, and three assists in a 98–34 blowout win over Miller Career Academy in the state title game.[6][7] Coleman captured the Mr. Show-Me Basketball award,[8] and was named the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year,[9][10] MaxPreps Missouri Player of the Year,[11] Sports Illustrated Missouri Player of the Year,[12] St. Louis American Player of the Year,[13] and St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year.[1] He was also named a first- and second-team All-American by MaxPreps and Naismith, respectively.[14][15] Coleman was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic, where he scored 12 points.[16] He was also named the MVP of the Iverson Classic after recording 31 points and 12 rebounds.[17]

Outside of school, Coleman played with SW Illinois Jets on the Nike Elite Youth Champions League (EYCL) circuit in 2024.[2][18] The following year, he played with Bradley Beal Elite on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit, helping them win the 17U Peach Jam championship after recording 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in a 75–55 win over the New York Rens the championship game.[19][20]

Recruiting

Coleman is a consensus top-25 prospect and one of the top recruits in the class of 2026. He is rated a five-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.com,[21][22] and a four-star recruit by ESPN.[23] Ahead of his senior year, Coleman was ranked as the 173rd recruit in his class by 247Sports.[18] However, over the course of the season, he emerged "as one of the top guard recruits in the nation",[2][24] and he jumped from the No. 35 to No. 13 recruit in his class in the final 247Sports update.[25]

On October 14, 2025, Coleman committed to playing college basketball at Wake Forest over offers from Iowa, Saint Louis, and Texas Tech, after having visited all four schools.[26][27] He signed with Wake Forest the following month.[28] However, he was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent in March 2026, reopening his recruitment process.[29][30] On April 3, Coleman committed to Illinois.[31][32] He signed with the Fighting Illini the following month.[3]

National team career

Coleman won a silver medal with the United States at the 2026 FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Mexico. He earned tournament all-star five honors after he averaged 11.2 points and a tournament-leading 11.4 rebounds per game.[33]

Personal life

Coleman's father, Bobby, was a standout basketball player at Lebanon High School in Illinois.[1] His younger sister, Josslyn, also plays basketball.[1]

Coleman is from O'Fallon, Illinois.[34]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Overbey, Steve (April 17, 2026). "Principia's Quentin Coleman soars to the top: All-Metro boys basketball player of the year". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Lance, Sam (January 22, 2026). "'It was a dogfight': How Wake Forest landed 2026 sleeper Quentin Coleman and his projected impact next season". Field of 68. On3.com. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Coleman Signs with Fighting Illini". Illinois Fighting Illini. April 19, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  4. ↑ Austin Jr., Earl (March 15, 2025). "Principia boys win first state championship". The St. Louis American. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Coleman leads Principia boys basketball to MSHSAA Class 3 title over KIPP KC Legacy". Columbia Missourian. March 13, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ Davidson, Charlie (March 14, 2026). "Undeniable: Coleman powers Principia to repeat in historic fashion". Columbia Missourian. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  7. ↑ Divens, Jordan (March 14, 2026). "High school basketball: Quentin Coleman erupts for 50 points as No. 4 Principia wins Missouri Class 3 state title 98-34". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  8. ↑ Lee, Gary (March 27, 2026). "It is time again for the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) to celebrate the basketball season!". Ozark Radio News. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  9. ↑ "PRINCIPIA SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED GATORADE MISSOURI BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR" (PDF). Gatorade. March 20, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  10. ↑ Palermo, Gregg (March 20, 2026). "Principia's Quentin Coleman named Missouri's Gatorade HS player of the year". Spectrum News. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ Divens, Jordan (March 23, 2026). "Quentin Coleman named 2025-26 MaxPreps Missouri High School Basketball Player of the Year". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  12. ↑ West, Sean (March 24, 2026). "High School On SI Reveals The 2025-26 Missouri Boys Basketball Award Winners". High School on SI. SI.com. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  13. ↑ Thompson, Courtney (April 13, 2026). "St. Louis American Boys "Fab Five" All-Stars". St. Louis American. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  14. ↑ Divens, Jordan (April 7, 2026). "MaxPreps All-America Team: Jordan Smith of Paul VI headlines high school basketball's best from the 2025-26 season". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  15. ↑ "2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Girls' and Boys' High School All-America Teams". Naismith Awards. March 16, 2026. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  16. ↑ Richey, Scott (April 18, 2026). "Good Morning, Illini Nation: Quentin Coleman at the Jordan Brand Classic". The News-Gazette. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  17. ↑ Richey, Scott (May 3, 2026). "Good Morning, Illini Nation: Quentin Coleman stars again". The News-Gazette. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  18. 1 2 Lance, Sam (July 21, 2025). "Bradley Beal Elite guard Quentin Coleman breaks down recruitment after standout Peach Jam". Zagsblog. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  19. ↑ Burgess, Scott (July 21, 2025). "Brad Beal Elite Wins Peach Jam Championship". Prep Hoops. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  20. ↑ Austin Jr., Earl (July 21, 2025). "Brad Beal Elite wins Nike Peach Jam Championship". The St. Louis American. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Quentin Coleman, The Principia School, Shooting Guard". 247Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Quentin Coleman - The Principia School - Shooting Guard". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Quentin Coleman - Basketball Recruiting". ESPN. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  24. ↑ Mayes, Warren (April 8, 2026). "Principia's Coleman earns many postseason basketball honors". West Newsmagazine. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  25. ↑ Werner, Jeremy (May 14, 2026). "Final 247Sports rankings update: Why Quentin Coleman rose to five-star status, Zavier Zens earned fourth star". 247Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  26. ↑ Bossi, Eric (October 14, 2025). "Four-star guard Quentin Coleman cites connection with Steve Forbes in commitment to Wake Forest". 247Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  27. ↑ Finkelstein, Adam (October 14, 2025). "Scouting Quentin Coleman and his fit at Wake Forest". 247Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Quentin Coleman Third Addition to Wake Forest's Nationally-Ranked 2026 Recruiting Class". Wake Forest Demon Deacons. November 19, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  29. ↑ Tipton, Joe (March 7, 2026). "Top-20 overall recruit Quentin Coleman requests release from Wake Forest, reopening recruitment". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  30. ↑ Bossi, Eric (March 7, 2026). "Top-35 ranked senior Quentin Coleman will be released from his NLI by Wake Forest". 247Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  31. ↑ Austin Jr., Earl (April 3, 2026). "Quentin Coleman Commits to Illinois". The St. Louis American. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  32. ↑ Tipton, Joe (April 3, 2026). "Top-20 overall recruit Quentin Coleman commits to Illinois". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  33. ↑ Richey, Scott (June 8, 2026). "Good Morning, Illini Nation: Quentin Coleman, U.S. take home silver". The News-Gazette. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  34. ↑ Williams, Jordan (April 10, 2026). "Quentin Coleman opens up on his decision to join Illinois". Fox2Now. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
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