Now that Henry Coleman has exited Duke, will Virginia be in pursuit?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Now that Henry Coleman has left Duke and entered the NCAA transfer portal, could Charlottesville become his destination?

Prior to choosing Duke, Coleman seemed like a perfect fit for the Cavaliers. At 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, he was one of the Top 50 high school basketball recruits in the country and the eighth-ranked forward according then to 247 Sports. Coleman performed well at the NBA Top 100 Camp at UVA the summer prior to his senior year.

By then he had 20 major offers, including Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, VCU, Pitt, TCU, NC State, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, LSU, Clemson, Maryland and UCLA. His mom, Cynthia, is a UVA graduate, while his dad, Hank, played football at Virginia Tech.

A standout star from nearby Richmond, Coleman played spot minutes for Duke as a freshman last season, averaging 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in five minutes per game. He appeared in 19 contests, including the last 11 straight for the Blue Devils.

When Duke signed Paolo Banchero, a 6-9 power forward and the nation’s No. 3 ranked recruit according to ESPN, it appeared to inspire Coleman to look for greener pastures.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski issued a statement concerning Coleman’s exit:

“I want to thank Henry and his family and offer my support to his decision. We certainly will miss what Henry brought to our team. He has a terrific career in front of him and we wish him well.”

Virginia fans would like to see that career played out at John Paul Jones Arena.

According to a source close to the situation, the Coleman family is fielding calls and texts from coaches and trying to figure out which school has a spot for Henry where he can really contribute to the program.

Meanwhile, there hasn’t been any confirmation as to whether or not Virginia has offered 6-9 Langston Wilson of Georgia Highlands College. He’s ranked the No. 1 juco power forward in the country and has been courted by at least 25 programs. He recently decommitted from Alabama, after the Tide over-recruited his position.

Wilson has been described as a Mamadi Diakite-type player in terms of athleticism. He is being pursued by Maryland, West Virginia, NC State, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Clemson, Washington, Missouri and many others.