Noel Coleman was not ready to say aloha.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in May and was set to receive pro-basketball opportunities overseas.
“It was tempting,” Coleman said. “It also was hard, especially not having a senior night, not having the opportunity to have a ‘goodbye’ to the fans.”
He opted to accept the NCAA’s so-called COVID-19 year that allows him to return to the Hawaii basketball team as a fifth-year senior.
“I decided, you know what, I’m going to ride it out,” he said. “I’m with a great group of people, not just in the gym, but in Hawaii. There are so many good people out here. I met a lot of good people. I built a second family here. It would be hard to leave that behind.”
During fall training, teammates selected Coleman as one of the three co-captains.
“It’s a great honor,” Coleman said. “I’m appreciative of the guys. It shows they respect and trust me. That’s a big thing for me. I hope they know I trust all of them. The main thing I want them to know is I’m here for them. They can call me if they ever need anything. I’m always available for them.”
It has been a remarkable journey for Coleman, who grew up in Belgium. During summers, Coleman helped his best friend Brecht Janssen work on a farm. They would collect haystacks, load them into a baler, then store the hay to feed the cows in the winter.
“It wasn’t light,” Coleman said of the stacks, “but we were outside and having fun.”
Later in the day, Coleman would play basketball against his older sister and brother on a backyard court that was partially grass, partially cement and rocks.
Coleman competed for his province’s basketball team. After one tournament, he was invited to attend Topsportschool Antwerpen, an elite sports academy for youths. At age 12, he enrolled in the weekday boarding school that was a 90-minute train ride from his home.
“It taught me to grow up,” he said. “I was fortunate to be selected to go there. Going to that school gave me a better opportunity to play for the youth national team.”
When he was 17, he moved to Wichita, Kan., enrolling at Sunrise Christian Academy. “I didn’t know anything about the school and I didn’t know anybody there,” said Coleman, who developed into a multi-skilled guard.
Assistant coach Chris Gerlufsen recruited Coleman to San Diego in 2019, but then left to accept a coaching job at UH. The next season, Coleman transferred to Hawaii. But after Coleman’s sophomore season, Gerlusen was hired at San Francisco.
“I was a little nervous when (Gerlufsen) left,” Coleman said. “But EG (UH coach Eran Ganot) has been great, reassuring me every time. ‘I know you guys were close, but we trust and believe in you. I just want you to be comfortable.’ That was the biggest thing for me. I’m good here. I can breathe.”
Coleman, at 6-2, can play both guard spots. With a 44-inch vertical jump, Coleman also can defend the wing. He is a consistent 3-point shooter, and ambidextrous driver. He is left-handed when it comes to holding a fork, brushing his teeth, writing and shooting a basketball. But he is equally deft with a right-handed dribble.
In his free time, Coleman will ride his moped to a random neighborhood, park, and then go for a long walk while listening to country music, rap, or songs from Fiji and J Boog.
“There are a lot of good areas,” Coleman said of his walks. “It brings my mental to a comfort level. Being by myself with my AirPods in, I soak it up. I know it’s not going to last forever. I’m not going to be in Hawaii forever. I have to take advantage of the days I still have here.”
