Seton Hall basketball standout Isaiah Coleman to enter transfer portal

Yahoo

29-03-2025

The first big test of Seton Hall basketball's offseason promise to rebuild with more resources did not go well.
Isaiah Coleman, the Pirates' lone impact player during a 7-25 campaign, is reportedly headed for the transfer portal.
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The 6-foot-5 sophomore wing averaged 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists this past season. He shot 39 percent from the floor, 29 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent from the free-throw line.
After a slow start due to an injury-plagued summer and fall, Coleman hit stride during the first half of the Big East schedule, playing at an all-league level despite a dearth of talent around him. But being at the top of the scouting report with little help took its toll, and Big East coaches caught up with him during the back half of the conference slate as his efficiency plummeted.
Dec 14, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Seton Hall Pirates guard Isaiah Coleman (21) dribbles during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Still, on balance the onetime four-star recruit made a big leap from his freshman year, when he contributed to the 25-win NIT championship squad as a sixth man.
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His move to the portal doesn't come as a surprise. He hired an agent during the season, and after the Pirates' exited the first-round of the Big East Tournament, he was noncommittal about his future plans.
"Obviously, I want him back," Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said at the time. "We'll do what we can to try to keep him.'
Jan 8, 2025; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Seton Hall Pirates guard Isaiah Coleman (21) reacts after makes a three point basket during the second half against the DePaul Blue Demons at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
After much was made about Seton Hall's paltry roster-building war chest last offseason – at about $1.5 million, it was roughly half of what their Big East peers had to work with – indicators from the school have pointed toward a much bigger commitment this offseason, aided by the impending ability of schools to share revenue directly with athletes and not just rely on fan donations.
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'I got the word that people are stepping up and they think it's gonna be there," Holloway said after the Big East Tournament, speaking generally about a resources bump. "But I want to make sure it's there and more, to tell you the truth. We need more.'
Coleman entering the portal is the first stress test of that commitment, although there is almost no transparency into how these decisions are made. If he follows in the footsteps of Kadary Richmond and lands at a fellow Big East program, that will be an extra kick to the gut. Even if he leaves the conference, it'll be the third straight year the Pirates' best player has entered the portal: Tyrese Samuel (who landed at Florida in 2023), Richmond (to St. John's) and now Coleman.
From an optics standpoint, that's a hard way to change the narrative about the program's lack of resources.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball standout Isaiah Coleman to enter transfer portal