Christian Coleman was an unrecruited 6-foot-1 point guard at Franklin Parish High in Louisiana. Now, he's a 6-foot-9 UAB commit, who is getting ready for his lone season at South Plains (Texas) Junior College.

Put those two together and you have a rather unique combination of a power forward with point guard skills.

Coleman also has an interesting story on how he arrived at the point where he became UAB head coach Andy Kennedy’s second commitment in the upcoming signing class.

Coleman wanted to continue playing basketball when he finished with high school hoops. However, with no recruiting interest, the 2018 graduate figured his playing days were finished. He went to work at a local Walmart. He grew about four inches his first year after high school and grew three more inches the following year. His friends encouraged him to move on from Walmart and head back to the basketball court.

“That’s when everybody told me I should play basketball, they said you already got guard skills and you’re taller,” Coleman said.

He enrolled at Louisiana State University of Alexandria, which plays in the NAIA, and joined the basketball team. Last season, while playing forward, Coleman averaged 12.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and nearly two blocked shots a game. He shot 65% from the field and 42.9 percent on 3-point attempts.

He’s now enrolled at South Plains Junior College in Levelland, Texas. The Texans finished 21-12 last season and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NJCA National Tournament. One of Coleman’s teammates, 6-foot-10 Kalifa Sakho, also has a UAB offer, according to 247  Sports.

Coleman said he had more than 30 college coaching staffs talking to him, but UAB stood out from the crowd.

“I think they really looked at me and made me a priority,” Coleman said. “They were always calling, always coming to see me when they could, always making sure I was straight. They treated me like I was family.  Other schools they’d send their third assistant and stuff. Coach AK, he sent Coach [Ryan] Cross, who is the second assistant. They weren’t playing or nothing.”

Coleman took a recent visit to UAB, his lone college visit, and committed to the Blazers on Monday.

To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.

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