Quentin Coleman’s rise over the past year has been nothing short of explosive, and Illinois now has a freshman guard who went from intriguing to elite in a hurry.
When the Illini offered the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Coleman last July, 247 Sports had him at No. 172 in the Class of 2026. A year later, he’s climbed all the way to No. 14 and arrived as a bona fide five-star prospect.
That jump wasn’t built on hype alone. Coleman backed it up with production everywhere he went.
At Principia School in St. Louis last season, Coleman put together a monster senior year, averaging 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.7 steals per game while shooting 64.9% from the field, 50.6% from three and 89.7% at the line.
He powered the Panthers to a 29-2 record and a second straight Missouri Class 3 state title, then capped it with a 50-point performance in the championship game on 18-for-21 shooting. The accolades followed: First Team MaxPreps All-American, Second Team Naismith All-American, 2025-26 Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year and the 2026 Mr.
Show-Me Basketball award.
Coleman was already making noise before that breakout high school season. Last summer, he helped Bradley Beal Elite win the Nike EYBL 17U Peach Jam championship, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the title game against New York Rens. For the full 2025 EYBL season, he averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
His stock kept climbing in the spring and summer. Coleman earned MVP honors at the Iverson Classic in April after going for 31 points and 12 rebounds, added 12 points at the Jordan Brand Classic in May, and then represented Team USA’s U19 squad at the FIBA AmeriCup in Mexico in June. There, he averaged 11.2 points and a tournament-best 11.4 rebounds, while finishing as the team’s plus-minus leader at +114 over five games.
What makes Coleman so appealing is the way he can operate in different roles. He’s a true combo guard who was effective both with and without the ball during his prep career.
In EYBL play, he spent nearly all of his time off the ball alongside point guard Trey Pearson and wing JJ Andrews, and he still thrived as a spot-up shooter and secondary creator. At the high school level, he handled the ball much more often and showed he could create his own offense while still making smart decisions.
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