Always Learning, Always Leading

An exhausted Texas A&M men’s basketball team gathered in a hotel ballroom in Tampa to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show following a valiant run to the SEC Tournament championship game. 

All the people in the know had the Aggies safely in the tournament after going 7-1 in their late season run that featured wins over three ranked squads, including No. 4 Auburn. When the No. 10 seed of the East Region, the final region to be revealed, flashed “San Francisco,” Texas A&M realized it was locked out of the tournament.

Selection Sunday was different things for different people. It caused confusion. It crushed spirits. It fueled fires. For Henry Coleman III, it taught lessons.

“It was a learning experience,” Coleman said. “I think we, as an organization, know we have to be better this year. I think we have better foresight on what’s going to happen. We can’t give games away. We can’t give moments away. We have to use every moment to get better.”

Coleman is always learning. It’s part of being a leader.

“Everyone thinks leaders are people who are naturally out in front and they always know what to say,” Coleman said. “But they know what to say and they are out in front because they are constantly learning. They don’t stop learning.”

In his debut season in Aggieland, Coleman emerged as a leader on the court. The 6-foot-8 forward played in 39 games, including 36 starts in 2021-22. He ranked second on the squad in scoring (11.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg). An efficient scorer, he sported a .561 field goal percentage.

Coleman played at his best during the Aggies’ SEC Tournament run, averaging 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds over the four games. He started with a 22-point, eight-rebound effort in the first-round victory over Florida and added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against No. 4 Auburn.

“Henry has a chance to be an all-league player,” head coach Buzz Williams said. “Henry has a chance to be an academic all-league guy here. You couldn’t find a better representation of what you want in a student-athlete on and off the court. When you look to the transfer portal, he is the kind of player you want to get for your team.”

Coleman came to Aggieland through the transfer portal after his freshman campaign at Duke. He made a quick connection with Coach Williams, who recruited him to play at Virginia Tech. Williams gave a successful sales pitch to Coleman, who had never been to the Lone Star State. As with many recruits, it was the atmosphere and community that closed the deal.

“The only thing I knew about Texas A&M was that Johnny Manziel played here,” Coleman admitted. “When you get here you see the family atmosphere, not just in basketball, but everywhere around campus, even in the community. In certain food spots I go to, the people know your name and they know your regular orders. Now we probably go there too much, but the community and the family atmosphere here is different than any other.”

Williams is a coach tailor-made for a player like Coleman. Coach feeds the player’s appetite for knowledge and learning. The relationship has helped shape Coleman as he sees growth daily.

“I think being here and spending every day with him has changed who I am,” Coleman said. “He’s taught me a lot, not just about basketball, but about life. He has taught me how to impact someone else’s life and how to be a better person every day.”

Along with the Selection Sunday disappointment, the run to the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament also taught lessons. The team learned about working hard every day and taking advantage of the time together.

“I think it did a lot for our program,” Coleman said. “After being humbled, we took advantage of the situation we did have. They weren’t the games we wanted to be playing, but we played the games like they were. I think the guys came in every day and worked hard so we could keep playing. Coach (Williams) preaches on being an everyday type guy, not four or five times out of the week type guy. We learned where we can get by being a group of seven days out of the week kind of guys. We have to keep chopping the wood and carrying the water.”

The disappointment blended with the lessons learned from the 2021-22 campaign put the wheels in motion for the offseason. Coleman’s goal for the season was for Texas A&M basketball to be the best team it can be and get everything it can get out of their talent.

“A great run in the NCAA Tournament or an SEC Championship are goals that are reachable,” Coleman said. “If we work hard and smart each day, good things will come our way. I think our work is going to get us there. We’re not the most talented team. We don’t have all the five-star guys in here. But we have a lot of guys who are everyday guys who are going to work every single day.”

Coleman had things he needed to improve on the court as far as handling the ball more and shooting the ball more to help open things up for the team. But his main chore in the offseason was expanding his role as a leader.

“My emphasis was to continue to grow as a leader,” Coleman said. “We brought in a new batch of guys this year, so I wanted to bring these guys in and teach them our culture – Coach’s culture. I need to be more vocal, not just on the court, but off the court. I need to kind of bring the guys together and have us more prepared for games.”

The Aggies added five transfers for the 2022-23 campaign: G Dexter Dennis (Wichita State), F Andersson Garcia (Mississippi State), F Julius Marble (Michigan State), G Erik Pratt (Seward County CC) and G Khalen Robinson (Arkansas). With the help of Coleman, the newcomers have had little trouble blending into Williams’ recipe for the 2022-23 campaign.

“Henry is a tremendous leader,” Dennis said. “On this team, the great players from last year are really selfless, egoless – not really power-driven. I’m just as impressed with personality and character than his on-court skills.”

In addition to starring on Coach Williams’ hoops squad and excelling in the classroom, Coleman has jumped at every opportunity to serve as a leader and expand the horizons of his knowledge. He has served on the Texas A&M Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the league-wide SEC Basketball Leadership Council. Coleman represented the SEC Council at the annual SEC meetings in Destin, Florida, and attended the 12th Man Foundation Summer Meetings last June in San Antonio.

“These experiences are things that can’t be taken away from you,” Coleman said. “If you get that into your heart, into your brain - this is something that won’t be taken away from you - then you’ll want to do as many of these things as you can. If you can find something within your area that you love and you get really involved, it can take you a long way.”

In Destin, Coleman gained a new-found appreciation for the SEC and its leaders. He took stock in the number of people doing a job every day at a high level to help the student-athletes throughout the league.

“Representing the SEC Council in Destin was a life-changing experience,” Coleman said. “I got to meet a ton of coaches and people within the SEC. I got to have dinner with Commissioner (Greg Sankey). The most important thing I got from the SEC meetings was how dedicated people are to improving the lives of other people.”

Coleman was blessed with a family and education structure that emphasized learning and the power of knowledge. His father, Hank, and mother, Cynthia, stressed education early on and there are anecdotes of him being a leader in the classroom as far back as elementary school when his teacher labeled him ‘Second In Charge.’

“My parents instilled the value of an education in me from a very young age,” Coleman remembered. “I attended Trinity Episcopal School for high school, and I think that shaped me into who I am today. Credit goes to Rob Schor, the headmaster there and all the teachers there. But my parents instilled in me that an education is something that can’t be taken away from me.”

Like his knack for leading, his knack for learning came at an early age. 

“Coach (Williams) touched on it the other day,” Coleman said. “Some of the keys to learning are being able to read others, being amiable, knowing what to say at the right time and knowing who you’re dealing with. I think I picked up on those traits very early.”

The fishing holes around the Brazos Valley have helped Coleman’s adjustment to Aggieland. Hunting and fishing are two of his loves and in the summer you can find him out with a rod and reel five times a week.

“Most people on the team think I’m crazy, but it’s a big love,” Coleman said. “Fishing in the summer and then when it gets cold, go hunting a little bit. When you’re an athlete and you’re always on the run, you have to find a balance and something that’s going to calm your mind. I think finishing and hunting are two things that calm your mind. I’m not thinking about basketball. I’m not thinking about school. I’m just thinking about what’s in front of me and listening to music, so it’s a good feeling.”

Being the learner he is, of course Coleman is going to find a lesson from hunting and fishing, and apply it to the game of basketball.

“Fishing and hunting teach you to be calm under pressure,” Coleman said. “When you set that hook on that fish, you can’t just start reeling it in. You’ve got to be a little bit calm and kind of work it in. When you’re hunting and you see a buck right in front of you, you have to wait a little bit. I know you want to pull the trigger as soon as you see it, but you have to wait for the right time. It teaches you to be calm in the moment and stay in the moment.”

Despite his father being a standout football player at Virginia Tech, Coleman never attempted a gridiron career. His other jam was baseball, a sport he also excelled in at Trinity Episcopal, but he has no designs on taking on the SEC on the diamond.

“I wish I was good enough to do both,” Coleman said. “Coach Schlossnagle is doing an awesome job with that program. I had the chance to talk with him at the 12th Man Foundation Retreat and I think the culture he has brought over is awesome.”

Although he has been in the Brazos Valley just over two years, Coleman has fully immersed himself in Aggieland. He has become a favorite of the 12th Man and they have won his admiration.

“The 12th Man means a ton,” Coleman said. “It means commitment. It means family. I don’t know every single person in the stands, but it feels like I do. Knowing they’re cheering you on and they’re celebrating after you get a big dunk or you draw a charge, it’s something special.”

In addition to the 12th Man in the stands, Coleman has an attitude of gratitude toward the donors of the 12th Man Foundation and the Aggie network.

“I had an opportunity to go to San Antonio for the retreat,” Coleman said. “I met a ton of donors and people within the Aggie family. Getting to know not only the donors, but knowing their families and knowing their situation gives you a new perspective. Knowing some of those people are former student-athletes who were once in my shoes gives you a comfort level.”

After his basketball playing days are over, Coleman has a great vision for his future. He is hoping to one day be the commissioner welcoming student-athletes at the SEC Meetings.

“I want to work somewhere in the SEC,” Coleman said. “I think being in the SEC, being in the greatest conference right now, is a great way to have an impact. I think you have a bigger impact on sports from up there, especially someone like Commissioner Sankey. He is doing it the right way. He’s very interactive with the student-athletes, not just with the coaches and the people at the top. He’s very in tune with the student-athletes.”

There is no doubt Coleman can reach the heights of conference commissioner somewhere down the road. But for now, he is taking the lessons he has learned and using them to lead the Aggies to a Selection Sunday where they hear their name called.