Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

Jaleesa Coleman thought she had carved a nice career at Bloomfield College. She was studying toward a degree in psychology and criminal justice and was playing basketball there.

But as she was ready to begin her final year at Bloomfield, Coleman, a native of Pleasantville, N.J., realized she couldn’t stay there any longer.

“I had to leave for financial reasons,” Coleman said. “I couldn’t stay. I wasn’t unhappy there. I was getting good playing time. It wasn’t the issue. I just had to leave.”

So as Coleman began to consider schools to which she could transfer to and could afford, one place came to mind.

“Rutgers,” she said. “Just the name of Rutgers drew me to Rutgers-Newark. I knew it was a good school academically and most of my credits would transfer.”

Rutgers-Newark women’s basketball coach Kevin Morris admittedly didn’t know much about Coleman until she called, asking if she could play for him and the Scarlet Raiders.

“She called and said that she had one year of eligibility left,” Morris said. “I figured if she played at that level (NCAA Division II), then she could play for us.”

It didn’t take long for Morris to realize that Coleman could help his team right away.

“I knew that she could definitely shoot the ball and could play inside as well,” Morris said. “I thought she would cause some tough match-ups for others. If you guard her inside, then she can go out and hit the outside shot. We didn’t have much experience inside, so I figured she would play a lot there.”

There was only one problem. Coleman never played a forward role in her life.

“I’ve always been more of a shooting guard,” Coleman said. “I wasn’t used to playing at the post. I never played there before. So I knew that would be a little difficult. It all happened so fast. I didn’t know where I would be playing. But Coach Morris worked with me on my low post moves and it helped me become more diversified as a player.”

As it has turned out, Coleman has been a blessing.

After 19 games, Coleman is the Scarlet Raiders’ leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points per game. Coleman is also collecting 5.1 rebounds per game. She’s become a player of impact in her first and only season with the Scarlet Raiders.

“She’s definitely been better than I could have expected,” Morris said. “Jaleesa has been a very good scorer for us. No question, she’s been a valuable addition. We’ve been working to find ways to create shots for her somehow. She has that shooter’s mentality that you need.”

Coleman said she was a little worried about whether she would be able to fit in with her new surroundings and new teammates.

“We’re still a young team, but we’re doing better than what we did earlier in the season,” Coleman said. “I found myself working pretty well with the team and got pretty close with them.”

Morris had no concerns at all about Coleman coming in and fitting in right away.

“I didn’t worry about that too much, because everyone was basically new,” Morris said. “Jaleesa’s come in and been a good teammate. She wants to win like everyone else. She’s been a good citizen, both on and off the court. She’s been nothing but positive for us. She plays hard. She gets after loose balls and does everything we’ve asked of her. She plays a complete game. She’s definitely been a good addition to our team.”

If there’s one downside to Coleman’s arrival, it’s that she only gets one year to be a member of the Scarlet Raiders.

“I knew that coming in that this would be my only year,” Coleman said. “It’s my first and last year. That’s a little disappointing, because I really like it here. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great experience for me. I just love playing the game and glad I’m getting a chance to play again, because I thought it might have been over when I left Bloomfield.”

Coleman is majoring in psychology with a minor in criminal justice. She hopes to possibly return to her native Pleasantville and work with juveniles in the future.

For now, she’ll continue to work her magic with her teammates at R-N, even if it for a short period of time.