Quentin Coleman Chooses Illinois

One of the biggest risers in the Class of 2026, St. Louis native and Bradley Beal alum Quentin Coleman is headed north to Champaign.

Quentin, a five-star recruit and consensus Top 40 player in his class, had offers from some of the top college basketball programs across the country. But he decided to keep it close to home and join a program that has once again become a college hoops powerhouse.

“Quentin is obviously a gifted offensive player, scoring it at all three levels, and he will be an elite defender as well,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “We are excited about adding him to our roster; he is a great fit with our returning pieces.”

Like most of the young men that come through the Brad Beal Elite program, Quentin has built a relationship with Brad and considers him a mentor. He is grateful for their relationship and his time with BBE.

“I talk to him almost every day,” he said. “He’s definitely a guy I look up to because I played for his team and I’m trying to get where he’s at. So I definitely call him and want advice from him because he did it. Hearing from him is always great. He was happy with [my decision]. He felt like it was the right decision for me, with how I play and how Illinois is. He knows that I’m a winner and Illinois is obviously winners too, so he feels like I can go in there and impact winning.”

The Illini are in the midst of a hardwood resurgence. After reaching the National Championship game in 2005, they made the tournament just five times over the next 15 years, including a six-year drought that ended in 2021. Underwood took the reins in 2017 and has quite literally built the program back to prominence from the ground up.

It culminated this April with Illinois’ first trip to the Final Four in more than 20 years. But the Illini fell two wins short of the ultimate goal and Underwood believes that a player with Quentin’s championship pedigree can help get the program over the hump.

“Quentin is one of the most competitive players I watched in the Class of 2026. He is an elite competitor, so it’s no surprise that winning is in his DNA,” Underwood said. “He understands how to compete and play alongside other great players and elevate himself and his teammates. He did that in the EYBL with Brad Beal Elite, winning Peach Jam, and with Principia, winning two straight state titles.”

Illinois lost freshman guard Keaton Wagler to the NBA Draft and senior guard Kylan Boswell to graduation but returns the rest of its core.

“Honestly it was just the right fit for me and my family…they have great basketball. I just want to be a part of winning and that’s what they’re doing right now,” Quentin told Fox 2 Illinois. “I didn’t think when I was first starting [the process], I didn’t think it would get this big, going to a Big 10 school, the opportunity to play at this high level of a D-1 school.”

Though he spent his high school years in St. Louis, Coleman’s family originally hails from Illinois and the campus in Champaign is about three hours Northeast of the Lou,

“It’s not the far away from home. I’m from O’Fallon, Illinois, so that plays a [role],” he said. “It’s definitely a dream come true, cause I’m from Illinois, and I have family who have been at Illinois so it’s just a great way to come full circle for me to be at Illinois.”