Texas senior guard Matt Coleman III has decided to turn professional and hire an agent, Coleman announced Thursday. A four-year starter at point guard, Coleman became the first player in UT program history to lead the team in assists four consecutive seasons.
Coleman completed his UT career ranked third in school history in career games started (128), fourth in career assists (477), seventh in career assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73, 477-275) and 16th in career scoring (1,448 points). He played and started 128 of a possible 129 career games (missed the home TCU contest on Feb. 19, 2020 with a bruised right heel) and reached double figures in scoring 76 times and topped the 20-point mark 12 times.
During his four years in Austin, Coleman helped the Longhorns compile an overall record of 78-51 (.605), advance to two NCAA Tournaments and win the 2019 NIT Championship. He earned four All-Big 12 selections during his career, including third-team accolades as a junior and senior and honorable mention recognition as a freshman and sophomore. Coleman, who is on pace to earn his bachelor’s degree in Communication and Leadership with a minor in Business this May, also was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree.
In his senior season (2020-21), Coleman led the team in assists (4.0 apg), steals (32) and minutes (34.4 mpg) and ranked second in scoring (13.2 ppg). He converted 48.5-percent from the floor (126-260), including a 37.7-percent mark from three-point range (43-114), and 81.3-percent from the free throw line (61-75).
Coleman earned Most Valuable Player honors at the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, averaging 24.5 points per game while hitting 17-of-30 (.567) field goals, including 6-of-11 (.545) threes, in leading Texas to its first Big 12 tourney title in program history. He posted a career-high 30 points in the championship game victory over No. 12/14 Oklahoma State.
Coleman also claimed Most Valuable Player honors at the 2020 Camping World Maui Invitational earlier in his senior campaign (Nov. 30-Dec. 2). During UT’s three games in Asheville, he averaged a team-best 16.0 points, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game while hitting 50-percent from the field (18-36), including 7-of-17 (.412) from beyond the arc. He posted a game-high 22 points in the title game victory against No. 14/16 North Carolina (Dec. 2), hitting the game-winning basket on a jumper from the foul line with 0.1 second left on the clock.
(Release via Texas)
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