Dajuan Coleman’s Rise

It’s not difficult to see why he’s one of the most sought after high school juniors in the country. He stands a menacing 6’9 tall and weighs a muscular 280 lbs. Dajuan Coleman, of Jamesville-DeWitt high school, has won three state championships in a row and is already eyeing a New York state record fourth for next season.

Due to his rare combination of size and skill on the hardwood Coleman is already drawing attention from NBA scouts. However with the NBA’s policy for players entering the draft to attend at least one year of college or be at least 19 years of age, college is in Coleman’s imminent future.

Although it may seem, to outsiders looking in, like Dajuan Coleman has it all, it’s his humble beginnings on the westside of Syracuse that keeps him level-headed.

Family over everything
He has the initals tattoo’d on his arm, “F.O.E.” which stands for “Family over everything.” Coleman bounced around several neighborhoods in Syracuse before he finally ended up at Jamesville-DeWitt. It was the support and guidance of his family that helped him get through some tough times.

“From day one my family has been there for me, through thick and thin. My mom, my dad, my older brother, Dasean,” Coleman said.

Coleman moved to Liberty St. on the westside when he was 8. He reflected on the normalcies of his childhood. “I just remember running in and out of the house with my brothers, getting yelled at by my Mom to stop coming in and out of the house. And I just remember playing sports in the streets and going to the boy’s and girl’s club,” he said.

Like many younger siblings, Coleman grew up idolizing his older brother Dasean. “I looked up to him because he was good at all sports,” he said. But unfortunatley, for Dasean, the dangers and street life of the Westside took priority over sports.

“I was in the Airport in Florida when my brother got shot. I was nervous and didn’t really know what to do. The whole situation made me sad,” he said. Dasean’s brother’s gunshot wound was not life-threatening but was a wake up call to the family.

“After the shooting he went to my mom and said we need to get them outta here. And so that’s when we moved,” Coleman said.

Hoops Dreams
After all of the moving around and the emotion of leaving behind childhood friends, Dajuan Coleman has made a name for himself at Jamesville-DeWitt. “Ever since I was younger i didn’t really have much. I just decided to work hard and get my name out there,” he said.

Now, his name is out there. Dajuan Coleman is a name that resonates nationally with college basketball entusiasts. In spite of his rough roots, if Coleman is afforded with the opportunity to one day play in the NBA, he will never forget those roots.

“I’d do something like Carmelo Anthony did. I’d bring a basketball court or something to the neighborhoods. Some NBA players forget about everything, but I still want to get all the love like I get now when I come back. Leave my stamp,” Coleman said.

Dajuan Coleman will leave his stamp on college basketball sometime in October-November of next year when he officially declares which school he will attend in the Fall of 2012.