Lincoln – The Nebraska men’s basketball program added another important backcourt piece with size and experience, as Jarron “Boogie” Coleman signed to play with the Huskers for the 2023-24 season.
Coleman, a 6-5, 210-pound guard from Indianapolis, Ind., has started 86 games and totaled more than 1,100 points, 325 assists and 450 rebounds in his college career, which includes stints at Ball State and Missouri. Coleman joins the Huskers after graduating from Ball State in late July and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg said that Coleman’s combination of size, experience and passing ability provides the Huskers with another versatile backcourt performer.
“We are pleased to be able to add Jarron to our roster,” Hoiberg said. “He is a big point guard who has a very high basketball IQ. His skillset meshes well with the other players on our roster. He led his team in 3-pointers each of the last two seasons (2022-23 at Ball State and 2021-22 at Missouri) and was one of the best players in the Mid-American Conference last season. Boogie also has power conference experience, as he started at Missouri for a season and has a good understanding of what it takes to play at this level.”
Coleman earned second-team All-Mid-American Conference honors as Ball State posted a 20-12 record last season. He started 30 games and led BSU in both scoring (14.6 ppg) and assists (3.8 apg), ranking eighth in the MAC in both assists per game and 3-pointers per game (2.3) while finishing ninth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55-to-1). Coleman posted 24 double-figure efforts including five games with at least 20 points. He had a season-high 29 points against Indiana State. Coleman had his only double-double of the season against Eastern Michigan with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
He spent the 2021-22 season at Missouri, where he averaged 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Coleman led the Tigers with 46 3-pointers and totaled 13 double-figure games that season. He had a season-high 18 points, along with eight rebounds and six assists, in a win over No. 15 Alabama and had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting against Illinois.
Coleman began his collegiate career at Ball State. In 2020-21, he averaged 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 42.5 percent from 3-point range. He had eight double-figure games in 13 contests, highlighted by a career-high 33 points against Toledo in the MAC Tournament and 14 points and 11 caroms in a previous matchup at Toledo.
As a redshirt freshman in 2019-20, he was the MAC Freshman of the Year, as he averaged 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He paced all MAC freshmen in scoring, rebounding and assists in conference games, while he helped the Cardinals to the MAC West Division title and the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. He started BSU’s final 23 games at point guard and scored a season-high 20 points against IUPUI in his first start at point guard. He chipped in 17 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win over Georgia Tech.
Coleman played at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis for Coach Jason Delaney, averaging double figures in each of his last two seasons. The No. 7 player in the state by 247Sports in the class of 2018, he averaged 17.2 points, 4.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior, helping Cathedral win the City Tournament championship. He was selected to the IBCA Senior All-State Supreme 15 and the All-City Team. As a junior, he averaged 19.7 ppg and was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star Team. He played for Spiece Indy Heat in the EYBL, ranking in the top five in steals.
