MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Guard Joe Coleman is the first Minnesota player to transfer after the coaching change this season.
The Golden Gophers announced Wednesday that Coleman has been granted a release from his scholarship. The shooting guard didn’t see a place for himself in the program following the change from Tubby Smith to Richard Pitino this offseason.
Coleman averaged 8.7 points and 3.6 rebounds as a sophomore last season. He was a regular starter for a team that made the NCAA tournament last season, but proved to be inconsistent from a scoring standpoint. He had 29 at Illinois last season and 23 at Penn State as freshman, but only scored in double digits 11 other times in two seasons.
Coleman was named Minnesota’s AP state player of the year in 2011.
