Ron ‘Chin’ Coleman arrived at UIC, returning home to Chicago, after spending three seasons at Bradley, where he was promoted to assistant head coach prior to the 2014-15 season.
Coleman joined head coach Steve McClain and the pair helped to lay the foundation of a bright future for the Flames. Coleman helped to recruit and mentored several young talents, including the 2016 Horizon League Freshman of the Year, Dikembe Dixson. Dixson was the unanimous choice as the conference’s top newcomer after he set the Horizon League scoring record by a freshman with 594 points in his first season. McClain helped Dixson to secure a spot on the All-Horizon League team, as well, after he he led the Flames in scoring, rebounding and minutes played. Dixson was named Horizon League Freshman of the Week a record eight times during the regular season and he also set single-season program records in both free throws (169) and free-throw attempts (256).
During his first season at UIC, Coleman also helped sophomore Tai Odiase develop into one of the top rim protectors in the country. Odiase led the NCAA with 3.23 blocks per game during the regular season and he was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team by the conference’s 10 head coaches. Odiase, who blocked 97 shots on the year, was the only member of the five-man squad who was not a senior during the 2015-16 campaign.
As a team, UIC set the program record for the most rebounds in a single season with 1,235. That was two more than the previous high mark, which was set during the 1986-87 slate. In addition, the team blocked 162 shots to equal the program record that was set in 2006-07.
In his first year with the Braves, Coleman helped BU reach the third round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and post an overall record of 18-17, the program’s first above .500 mark in three years.
Prior to his time at Bradley, Coleman served as an assistant coach at Colorado State under head coach Tim Miles. The following season, Miles brought Coleman with him to Nebraska as the Director of Player Development.
In his lone season at CSU, Coleman helped pilot the 2011-12 Rams to their first NCAA Tournament since the 2003 season. Colorado State earned an at-large bid to the big dance and finished the year with a 20-12 record, the program’s first 20-win campaign in 14 seasons. Coleman helped develop three All-Mountain West players, including first-team member Wes Eikmeier.
Before entering the collegiate ranks, Coleman served as head coach for the Chicago-based Mac Irvin Fire AAU squad from 2005-11, where he developed the program in to one of the top AAU teams in the country.
Coleman also coached Illinois prep hoops for Benjamin E. Mays Academy and Whitney Young High School in Chicago. In 2006, he directed Mays to an unblemished 35-0 record and a District 299 City Championship before moving back home to lead Whitney Young as the associate head coach. From 2007-11, Coleman helped guide the Dolphins to four consecutive top-25 national finishes and an IHSA state title during the 2008-09 campaign.
The Chicago native played high school ball at Chicago’s South Shore Career Academy before competing collegiately for Weber State and Lamar. Coleman spent his first season at Weber State and appeared in 25 games as a true freshman. During his three seasons at Lamar, Coleman earned three consecutive first-team All-Sun Belt honors after leading the Cardinals in scoring each season. His 1,316 career points rank 11th all-time on Lamar’s career scoring list.
Coleman enjoyed a seven-year professional basketball career that involved domestic stints with the NBA’s Houston Rockets and the CBA’s Grand Rapids Hoops. He also competed overseas in Finland and in Latvia’s top league before returning to the United States.
