SOURCE: Illini Assistant Coach Ronald 'Chin' Coleman Leaving for Kentucky
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Kentucky has taken away two assistants from Brad Underwood's staff at Illinois.
Illini Now/Sports Illustrated has been informed by multiple sources close to the University of Illinois men's basketball program that Illini assistant Ronald “Chin” Coleman has informed Underwood that he'll be taking the offer to join Kentucky's coaching staff as an assistant coach.
Cats Pause, the Kentucky 247Sports.com affiliate, reported earlier Monday afternoon Ronald “Chin” Coleman has informed the Illini head coach he'll be joining Orlando Antigua on John Calipari's coaching staff at UK.
Former Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu all but confirmed the reports with a tweet on Monday afternoon wishing his college assistant coach well. Dosunmu tweeted "They’re getting a real one! 💯 Thanks for everything, Chin! #JL4L"
Illini Now/SI already confirmed Antigua has left his position as an assistant coach at Illinois in order to rejoin Calipari’s coaching staff at Kentucky for a second time in his career.
CBS Sports analyst Matt Norlander tweeted on April 22 that unnamed sources confirmed to him Coleman was also likely to be an assistant coach at Kentucky for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
Kentucky assistant coach Joel Justus has accepted a coaching position at Arizona State under head coach Bobby Hurley and Wildcats assistant coach Tony Barbee was named the head coaching job at Central Michigan.
Illinois assistant coach Ronald "Chin" Coleman has been on Brad Underwood's staff for the past four seasons since being hired in April 2017. Reports have surfaced Coleman has informed Underwood he'll be departing for Kentucky.
Coleman has been with Underwood throughout all of his four seasons as an assistant coach after joining the Illini staff in April 2017. Coleman’s recruiting impact for the Illini program was immediately felt after securing the commit and signing of Dosunmu.
Coleman was instrumental in working with the Illinois perimeter players after serving two years as an assistant at Illinois-Chicago under then-coach Steve McClain. Prior to his time at UIC, Coleman spent three years as an assistant at Bradley under then-coach Geno Ford, earning the title of assistant head coach in his final season of 2015.
Coleman entered the college ranks as an assistant for Tim Miles at Colorado State, helping the Rams to 20 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2012 season. He then followed Miles to Nebraska, serving as director of player development before returning to his home state for the assistant coaching position at Bradley.
Coleman is thought of in the profession as an essential component of Illinois' recruiting efforts in prospect-heavy market of Chicago and inside the state of Illinois after his time coaching one of the top AAU programs in the country, the Mac Irvin Fire, from 2005-11. He also coached at the prep level in Chicago, leading Benjamin Mays Academy before becoming associate head coach at Whitney Young High School.
“He has tremendous knowledge of the state of Illinois and city of Chicago, growing up and playing there, and then cutting his coaching teeth at the high school and grassroots level with the Mac Irvin Fire,” Underwood said after hiring Coleman in 2017. “He is a student of the game, a great teacher, and an outstanding asset for the University of Illinois basketball program and our players."
Coleman’s recruiting reputation at Illinois include secure commitments from 2020 Illinois Mr. Basketball selection Adam Miller, three-star forward Coleman Hawkins from California and 2021 signee Brandin Podziemski, who was named the 2021 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball selection.