Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1355158
18 CAVALIER CORNER of the stuff I talk about with the coaches, of course during practice it's about basketball, but it's more like family now where we talk about everything. "Whatever comes to mind because I've been here long enough, where it's like I'm going to see this person every day and bas- ketball is not the only thing that runs this world. I would say I have a strong relation- ship with all the coaches." With fans unable to attend games, Cole- man has even earned a new role on the side- lines this season. The coaches have tasked him with becoming a motivational leader on the bench and making more noise dur- ing games. "I felt like I've always had energy, and giving me that role makes it more promi- nent that I always have to bring energy and always try to bring that energy out of other people," he noted. "It's fun because I get to just be myself and be happy, be active and always try to be positive. "I'm an optimistic person who always sees the cup half full, rather than half empty. I think being that motivator or just being that person that says, 'Come on guys, one more stop, four more minutes, let's win this possession, we need this' — those are things that you won't hear all the time. "Being able to give optimism and encour- agement all the time, I feel like it's needed. Especially during times like this where bas- ketball isn't the only thing that's going on in this world. You try to focus in and you're just tired, but you need somebody to moti- vate you and help you get through it." It's been a golden opportunity for Cole- man to get his feet wet in a vocal role from the sidelines on the college level. He's chal- lenged the rest of the team to follow his lead and provide a strong presence for their teammates on the court. "We have a couple of defensive chants, but that's pretty much it, and then we have certain call outs that we'll make during the game," Coleman said. "We just want to be active, make a lot of noise, be rowdy. If they can't hear us through the TV then we're not loud enough." That often hasn't been the case, and Coleman has done a great job rallying the bench and leading in his own unique way. It's likely to be one of many lessons he learned at Virginia and will take into his desired career path. "I've always been one of those people that played fast, but coming into this orga- nization where it's more of a slow-paced game … I kind of like it," he said. "I think my coaching style will be probably a little more fast-paced than here, but knowing when to slow it down and what to do when slowing it down, being here helps with that, because it's so organized and it's not really any freestyle ball — it's structure, and I feel like structure is always needed." Coleman still has two more years at Virginia to develop his coaching style and basketball knowledge, so he's not in a hurry to look too far into the future. At this point, he is just enjoying the time he has with his teammates and coaches, and absorbing all he can. When the time comes, he'll take the next step into accomplishing his life-long goal and begin climbing the coaching ladder. Thanks to his experiences in Charlottes- ville, he's already off to a great start and has added to his deep Rolodex of coaches he can turn to for advice. "I know maybe interning or being a grad- uate assistant could be one of those next steps to really get into being a coach, but I haven't really thought about it all the way," he admitted. "My first step was deciding that's the career I wanted to take. "That's what made my decision to come to UVA and learn from Tony Bennett and the rest of the coaches — just because I knew that's what I really wanted to do." Coleman — pictured here with his dad, Clifford, and mom, Devona — wants to follow his father's footsteps into coaching basketball. Clifford is currently the head coach at Bryant & Stratton College. PHOTO COURTESY CHASE COLEMAN PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA ATHLETICS