Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big 12 Basketball: Top 5 rising sophomores for 2018-19

By Lukas Harkins

LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 07: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders brings the ball up court against Lindell Wigginton #5 of the Iowa State Cyclones during the game on February 7, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Iowa State 76-58. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - FEBRUARY 07: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders brings the ball up court against Lindell Wigginton #5 of the Iowa State Cyclones during the game on February 7, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Iowa State 76-58. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 14: Coleman #2 of the Texas Longhorns sauces. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 14: Coleman #2 of the Texas Longhorns sauces. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

2. Matt Coleman, Texas

Mo Bamba may have gotten all of the attention this past season but Matt Coleman also had a solid freshman campaign for Texas. A six-foot guard from Oak Hill Academy, Coleman was a fringe  top-50 recruit in the 2017 class. Following his commitment to play for the Longhorns, many penciled him in as the starting point guard for the team for at least his freshman season. Now that the season is over, it is fair to say nobody who wrote that down needed an eraser.

Coleman started at 34 games for the Longhorns this past season and was the primary playmaker on the team. While playing for 34.0 minutes per game, Coleman posted averages of 10.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. In doing this, Coleman shot 41.1% from the field on the season (28.6% from three). Although this was a poor shooting season, his 78.6% clip from the free throw line is indicative of a potentially solid shooter.

Heading into 2018-19, Coleman will be expected to take a leap as a sophomore. The expectation is that he will be sharing backcourt time with both Kerwin Roach Jr. as well as incoming freshman Courtney Ramey but he should still be one of the top creators and scorers on the team. One of the biggest issues for Texas all season last year was poor 3-point shooting (32.0% as a team, 320th in the country). If Coleman is able to increase his shooting from distance to a mid-30s percentage while averaging 13-15 points and 4-6 assists per game, that would be a great development for him and the team.

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