Illinois head coach Brad Underwood announced on Apr. 19 the signing of high school All-American Quentin Coleman to a Big Ten Athletics Scholarship Agreement for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team.
Coleman, a 6-foot-4 guard from St. Louis, is recognized as a first-team MaxPreps All-American and second-team Naismith All-American. He led Principia School to consecutive Missouri Class 3 state championships under Coach Jay Blossom, compiling a combined record of 60-3. On the EYBL circuit with Bradley Beal Elite, he also helped secure the 17U Peach Jam championship.
A five-star recruit by 247Sports Composite, Coleman holds national rankings of No. 20 by Rivals, No. 30 by ESPN, and No. 34 by 247Sports. These individual rankings contributed to his class being ranked No. 26 nationally by the Composite and No. 32 by Rivals Industry.
“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… Quentin is obviously a gifted offensive player, scoring it at all three levels, and he will be an elite defender as well.” Underwood added that Coleman would be “a great fit with our returning pieces.”
Coleman’s senior season included honors such as Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year for 2025-26 and St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year; he was also named Class 3 Player of the Year again by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA). He averaged over twenty-three points per game while shooting sixty-four percent from the field and fifty percent from three-point range.
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team has a long history in NCAA Division I athletics according to its official website. The team has reached multiple NCAA Final Fours in years including 1949, 1951, and others according to its official website, played home games in Champaign according to its official website, earned several Big Ten Conference titles according to its official website, adopted “Fighting Illini” as its nickname according to its official website, and competed within NCAA Division I athletics according to its official website.
Coleman joins fellow recruits Ethan Brown, Landon Davis, Lucas Morillo (signed in November), and Zavier Zens (signed in April) as part of Illinois’ incoming class for next season.
