Earlier this week, Kansas Jayhawks’ Head Coach Bill Self said he felt senior forward Dwight Coleby, with one year of eligibility remaining, had played his last game as a Jayhawks player in March during their National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament run, and that Coleby would transfer out of Kansas in the coming days.
Since then, Coleby has confirmed that he has made the decision to transfer to another school. However, he has not given any indication as to which school he’ll be transferring to. Sources close to the situation said that Coleby has been eyeing several mid-major division one programs, including Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Monroe, Western Kentucky and Arkansas-Little Rock.
“The past two years here (Kansas) has been nothing but special,” said Coleby about his time with the Jayhawks. “The memories shared cannot be taken away. Kansas will always be my home away from home and I will always be a Jayhawk.”
Coleby, a graduate transfer, will be immediately eligible next season. Two schools that are openly pursuing Coleby are Western Kentucky and Stephen F. Austin.
“We are trying to sprinkle in some experience with this group,” said Western Kentucky Head Coach Rick Stansbury. “I would like two more experienced guys, two more fifth-year guys who give us some experience, because we’re very young but we’re very talented.”
Self said he felt Coleby would transfer out of Kansas to get more playing time and put himself in a better position for a post-college career in basketball.
“He deserves it because it has been a rough go for him,” said Self. “His attitude is so good. He’s such a great kid. I know our kids are happy for him.”
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks are already a likely favorite in the Southland Conference in the NCAA, and adding Coleby could legitimize their goal of seed-altering success in the non-conference season.
Last year, Coleby averaged 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game for the Jayhawks. Coleby’s best year as a collegiate player was his sophomore campaign. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds that season.
Now that he’s fully recovered from the knee injury that forced him to sit out an entire season, teams are hoping that Coleby can contribute the way he did as a sophomore.
