Duke's Henry Coleman: Basketball is a Safe Haven

"The rest of the world just goes away"

Duke freshman Henry Coleman feels like this year’s Blue Devils team has bonded quickly.

“We were already close,” he said. “Most of the guys knew each other through camps and playing together. But then with these things coming along (the pandemic and the social protests) it’s definitely brought us closer. We talk about a lot of stuff that’s going on. Then we kind of use basketball as a safe haven out there, just shooting around, just playing. Everything else in the outside world goes away. You’re focused on getting that shot or that steal or win.”

Coleman has been working on shooting since arriving at Duke.

“I’ve been working a lot with Coach (Nate) James with shooting pick-and-pop threes,” he said. “I’m also attacking on the wing and trail position. He calls those money spots. Guys really get paid a lot of money doing those things. I’ve been working on those things. Coach and I have talked about it. I want to continue to be a consistent shooter. That’s the biggest thing I continue to work on. I get a lot of shots every day.”

One player who has made money after working on his game at Duke is Justise Winslow. Coleman would like to pattern himself after the 2015 national champion.

“The guy can get downhill and use his frame,” Coleman said. “That 2015 team—a lot of people looked over how good a leader he was. He brought energy, whether he had three points or 30. He had a knack for winning. Hopefully, I can do that for this team.”

The team has been getting very limited exposure to the outside world since players arrived on campus in August.

“Were in our little basketball bubble,” he said. “We still have the option of going to in-person classes. Some of the guys do that.”

If there’s one person who doesn’t want to be inside a bubble, it’s Coleman.

“I love to be outdoors,” he said. “To go fishing, be out in nature. One of my favorite authors is Henry David Thoreau. He talked a lot about loving nature.”