A talented Fighting Illini youngster could hear his name called by Adam Silver in the 2027 NBA Draft.
The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is expected to be a national championship favorite for the 2026-27 season and coach Brad Underwood is preparing to make sweeping changes in hopes of cutting down the nets.
Underwood is expected to start a mix of holdovers and newcomers this season in Champaign including guard/forward Andrej Stojakovic, center Tomislav Ivisic, forward David Mirkovic and guard Stefan Vaaks.
The fifth and final starter's role could belong to freshman guard Quentin Coleman, a 6-foot-4, 180 pound five-star prospect from St. Louis, Missouri who was recently given a stellar draft projection from NBADraft.net.
Coleman Gets First Round Projection
Coleman received a first round projection from the website and was the only Fighting Illini player to receive one.
The projection comes one season after former Illini freshman Keaton Wagler led his team to the Final Four as a freshman before being selected fifth in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Coleman was listed as the 20th overall pick to the Toronto Raptors by the website, just behind forward Klark Reithauser of Switzerland and ahead of center Luigi Suigo of Italy.
Coleman played his high school ball at The Principia School in St. Louis and is believed to be one of the most talented and game ready freshmen players in the nation heading into the 2026-27 college basketball season.
Apr 3, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA;IllinoisFighting Illini head coachBradUnderwood directs players during a practice session ahead of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images Where Coleman Fits in Underwood's Scheme
Underwood spoke about the Fighting Illini's upcoming season recently during which he said he wants his team to play "positionless basketball" at times.
The term was coined to denote a playing rotation where each player is capable of playing anywhere on the court and is typically used to describe an uptempo, high scoring, fast moving approach.
Underwood's team is a well-rounded mix of size, skill, athleticism, youth, offense, defense, rebounding and everything in-between, and Coleman is expected to be a big part of it.
Coleman is a player who is comfortable both on the ball and off of the ball. He handles the ball exceptionally well and is a willing and accurate passer who knows how to take care of it against high quality opposition.
According to 247Sports.com Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein, Coleman's physique is one area where he could use improvement as he must fill out in order to excel at the college and NBA levels.
Coleman will also have a talented roster of spot-up shooters to play alongside, which could see him with the ball in his hands more during his college days than during his high school days, potentially leading to a role as the Fighting Illini's starting point guard this season.
