The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSET

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE transition from the court to the bench will be quite a change for Bahamian NCAA basketball player Dwight Coleby as he transfers to a new university, but one that he sees as necessary to fulfil long term goals.

Last June, Coleby signed a “grant-in-aid agreement” to join the Kansas Jayhawks programme in the 2016-17 campaign, but will be forced to sit out this season due to transfer rules.

The former Ole Miss Rebel spoke to KUsports.com on the difficulty of sitting out while watching his new team play, but said he is committed to improvement on his game.

“It will be tough. It will be long. I just have to stay focused, stick with it, keep working at it. Hopefully it’ll be good,” he said. But he also noted what he plans to work on during his season on the sidelines.

“Everything. Getting stronger, quicker, more skilled in the post.”

Just under two weeks after he announced his decision to transfer, Coleby made the official announcement to join the Jayhawks.

“It was a hard decision,” Coleby said. “I thought about it for a while. After talking with my family I decided I needed something different, something new. As soon as I came here I had a feeling it was good.”

The six-foot, nine-inch, 240-pound sophomore was also named an SEC First-Year Academic Honour Roll in two seasons with the Rebels.

“I left because I don’t think I was maximising my full potential,” said Coleby about his decision to transfer after he played just 16.5 minutes per game and averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. “I will be looking at more exposure and try to get better because Kansas has a bigger fan base and a lot of things happen for the school and the players.”

It was a progressive season for him as he scored in double figures in six games this season where he earned three starts but appeared in 34 games.

In his freshman season with the Rebels, Coleby played in 28 games with four starts and averaged 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 10.4 minutes. He shot 47 per cent from the floor, and finished with 18 blocked shots, fifth on the team.

Jayhawks head coach Bill Self said he looks forward to the impact Coleby can have on the programme once he becomes eligible again. Following this season, the Jayhawks will lose senior forwards Perry Ellis, Jamari Traylor and Hunter Mickelson.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on transfers the entire spring due to the fact we lose so many big guys next year,” Self said. “It would be nice to have a big guy in your programme that knew the system, and we can rely on to be a foundation.“When Dwight became available, we researched it and watched tape. He’s exactly what I think we need. He’s a big guy that can play either bigs position. He’s active. He reminds me of a lot of a bigger Jamari or Thomas Robinson-type body. He’s got a great motor.

“I feel like he can play on the block. He can play facing. He can do a lot of different things. He’s raw offensively, but he’s a premier athlete and should be a solid rebounder and defender right off the bat.

“Dwight was obviously a contributor and role player for an NCAA Tournament team. He didn’t play a ton last year, but Ole Miss had good players. He hasn’t been playing ball forever, but there is definitely a foundation there, physically.”