Syracuse, N.Y. — We have embarked on a series of videos and brief stories about every one of Syracuse's scholarship basketball players.
The idea is simple: The video will show recent action of the player, with audio provided by his position coach defining the player's strengths and detailing which areas of his game still need work.
Next up:
Dajuan Coleman
The broad shoulders and powerful physique suggested the tools of a dominant college big man. But like most college freshmen who inhabit the post area, Dajuan Coleman needed time to adjust to the speed of the game and the size and skill of his college competitors.
Coleman's still big, but more streamlined body appears to be ready. His mission, over the summer, was to get in the kind of cardiovascular shape that would allow him to play extended minutes. SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins constantly spurs Coleman to run hard during the Orange's full-court drills.
Coleman can play center or forward. Hopkins likes the idea that the Jamesville-DeWitt grad and SU sophomore has shown the ability to score inside with more consistency during the summer exhibition games and early practices. He entices defenders to foul him: Now he needs to concentrate on making more than 46 percent of his attempts from the line.
Strengths
1) Aggressive post scorer
2) Good passer
3) Able to draw fouls
What SU wants from him this year
1) Better defense
2) Better rebounding
3) Better free-throw shooting percentage