City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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Chase Coleman knows this may be his one and only chance to play at the Division I level.

Consider that he had to be discovered at a prep school in Orlando, 15 minutes from the Amway Center where the Magic call home, when he had hoped to be suiting up for the Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials this season. It adds to the mystery and intrigue of a player who has struggled to find his place but hopes this long journey has ultimately paid off.  

Coleman is at his sixth school in five years with his enrollment at Southern Coast Academy (Fla.), which is over 1,000 miles south from his previous location in Plymouth Meeting, and the hope is that it’s the last. For now. His career began at Coatesville then he reclassified to go through eighth grade again and technically started as a freshman at Archbishop Carroll. Stops at The Patrick School (N.J.) and Keystone Academy ensued before arriving at Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Now, he’s at a program that has gained traction through developing Division I talent in the last few years and, despite all the turnover and transition of his high school career, he was poised to prove that one more stop could make all the difference.

“It was an opportunity to prep and play another year to be seen by coaches,” Coleman said. “It was necessary for more exposure compared to back home.”

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard is doing a prep year at Southern Coast Academy and while showcasing his defensive prowess at a September practice, he caught the attention of an onlooker that has brought his journey into its next chapter. Jacksonville State head coach Ray Harper was in the gym looking at 6-7 2024 forward Benção Vungo, who competed with the Republic of Angola in the FIBA U18 African Championship, and Coleman tenacity caught his eye. Harper pulled Coleman aside and wanted to get to know more about him.

“What happened was Jacksonville State had come in for one of my other teammates and Coach Harper said he needed a guard,” Coleman said. “He didn’t even come in for me and said he wanted to offer me. He gave me an opportunity with that offer.”

Harper officially offered Coleman on September 18, and he formally committed to the Gamecocks on November 9. Coleman found himself at Southern Coast Academy after being ruled ineligible for his senior season at Plymouth Whitemarsh following the number of games he had played at the various schools along the way. Jim Donofrio – the longtime Colonials head coach with over 500 career wins and the 2010 PIAA Class 4A state title to his name – was the most recent person who had a hand in Coleman’s development and Harper called him for his perspective.

“Ray had called me about a month ago and said he saw this kid and went, ‘Oh my God,'” Donofrio joked. “Whatever combination of drive he has based upon what he has experienced growing up has made him tough. He’s quiet but focused. The ones that compete at the highest level of intensity have something that not every athlete has. Chase draws on a pride when he gets on the floor.”

Jacksonville State isn’t located in the same city where Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars call home, but rather Jacksonville, Alabama, or a two-hour ride north of Montgomery, the state’ capital. Getting to the campus from Southern Coast Academy is approximately an eight-hour drive, and Coleman made the trip to tour it.

The visit opened him up to a new program and community that he is eager to join.

“Going on a visit and seeing that it’s a small town, but at the same time, it’s a town that loves the school and its sports teams,” Coleman said. “That feeling will make me feel at home, even though it’s far away. There’s a good support system and that’s part of why I want to go there.”

Coleman’s recruitment faded rather quickly due to the constant movement from one program to the next and the lack of commitment turned many potential suitors away. He gained an offer from Manhattan following his lone season at Archbishop Carroll, but it never generated a deeper look from other mid-major programs. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Fairleigh Dickinson showed interest at one time or another but later dropped off. It’s why even after a breakout season with the Colonials last season, Donofrio’s phone wasn’t ringing as frequently as it has for other standouts he has coached in his time.

“They were worried about him having gone to multiple schools and coaches were wondering what’s going on.” Donofrio said. “Then he went out west and looked at a few places out of state. He went through a very unique journey and what happens is guys like that get a little forgotten about. Some are not sure if he’s reliable then the next thing you know he has a sort of phoenix rising last year.”

He averaged 18.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.4 apg and 2 spg playing alongside talented prospects in Jaden Colzie and Qudire Bennett (Community College of Philadelphia), and helped Plymouth Whitemarsh (27-3, 16-0 Suburban One League) win the SOL Tournament title and District 1-6A title, the program’s first since 2016. Coleman was a terrific complement to the versatile Bennett and sharpshooting Colzie, but also dictated the pace in some of the biggest games of the year with 19 points against two-time reigning District 1 champion Lower Merion in the semifinals then 19 points in the district final victory over Spring-Ford.

Donofrio compared Coleman to Ahmad and Ahmin Williams, members of that 2016 district title team who scored 934 and 864 career points, respectively. “They had this mental toughness that turns into physical toughness. You combine that with his drive and love of the game.” He also noted that Coleman is “physically strong and compact” with his chiseled frame where, even at 6-1, he can throw his body around and create separation, whether at the point of attack or on his way to the rim. Defense is how he made his presence known in the gym that day and how he hopes to get on the floor at the next level.

“Coach Harper liked that I played defense full court and play hard,” Coleman said. “I match a lot of the guards he has had in the past: quick guards who can score and get downhill. He likes the leader-type, and it was one of the things he liked about me. He wants me to make a big impact.”

Harper is already Jacksonville State’s all-time winningest coach with 228 wins and has led the Gamecocks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure. He was named 2021-22 Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year after leading Jacksonville State to the conference regular season title and the NCAA Tournament, where the team fell to Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith and Auburn in the opening round. 

Harper has led the Gamecocks to four 20-win seasons there and Coleman wants to be the next cog that helps keep the consistency going. Jacksonville State finished 13-18 in 2022-23 and begins its inaugural season in Conference USA this year.

Even though they only spent a year together, Donofrio notes that Coleman “keeps in touch and checks in with me quite frequently. We talk and check in consistently.” He sees potential in Coleman and hopes the move to Jacksonville State will be the last in a long line of short stints.

“He was the great neutralizer against the best teams we played against and with him, forget about teams we were better than,” Donofrio said. “They didn’t know what to do with someone like him.”

Coleman is looking forward to “being a pest on the ball and pressuring the ball” when he arrives on campus next year, and more than that, he is thankful that Harper took a chance on him when so many others passed due to the uncertainty with how his last few years and stops have gone.

“I was more than blessed because I was waiting for this opportunity for a while,” Coleman said. “I was considering going the JUCO route and seeing if I could be given another chance again. I’m just happy to get the opportunity to play D-I.”