Bills Central

WATCH: Keon Coleman's basketball mixtape shows Bills got an athletic marvel

Though now a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, Keon Coleman was once a dominant force in high school basketball.

Kyle Silagyi

Keon Coleman #3 does a 360 degree dunk during game at Opelousas Catholic. Tuesday, Jan. 26,
Keon Coleman #3 does a 360 degree dunk during game at Opelousas Catholic. Tuesday, Jan. 26, / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA
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The City of Buffalo once housed a professional basketball franchise: the NBA’s Braves, which left the shores of Lake Erie for those of the Pacific Ocean in 1978 to become the San Diego Clippers. The historically uncompetitive team moved 120 miles north into the shadow of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984, still competing in the greater LA region today as the Los Angeles Clippers.

Buffalo has never flirted with professional basketball again, the Clippers’ occasional usage of Braves throwback jerseys being the closest contemporary Western New Yorkers have ever come to seeing their region represented in the NBA.

But the late-1970s bolting of the Braves perhaps stings more today than it did at the time of its occurrence.

Why?

It potentially robbed the Buffalo faithful of a dual-sport superstar.

The Buffalo Bills selected Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, adding a big-bodied jump-ball specialist to a depleted receiving corps; Coleman tallied 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in Tallahassee last season.

Related: How rookie WR Keon Coleman is learning Bills 'different' offensive playbook

Prior to pulling down touchdowns in north Florida, Coleman was putting down dunks in Louisiana’s Acadiana region. Before fully committing himself to football, he was one of ‘Cajun Country’s’ best high school basketball players, averaging 26.0 points per game for the Opelousas Catholic Vikings as a junior.

Step-back threes, 360° dunks, game-stopping blocks—Coleman could do it all. His high school mixtape is not only endlessly entertaining, but it also gives Buffalo fans a bit of insight into the type of athlete who will soon be entering their receiving corps; former NFL quarterback and fellow Louisiana native Robert Griffin III recently shared Coleman’s high school highlight reel on his X account.

Coleman’s high school dominance on both the football field and hardwood allowed him to be recruited as a dual-sport athlete; he ultimately committed to Michigan State, where he would play football under Mel Tucker and basketball under legendary college basketball coach Tom Izzo. He caught 65 passes for 848 yards and eight touchdowns throughout his two seasons with the Spartans football team, appearing in six games for the university’s basketball program as a freshman.

Former Michigan State football receiver Keon Coleman wears a Steven Izzo jeresey during the senior
Former Michigan State football receiver Keon Coleman wears a Steven Izzo jeresey during the senior / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Coleman would ultimately transfer to Florida State where he would prioritize and focus on football. He did, however, lean on his basketball prowess to make an immediate impact on his new teammates; popular NFL content creator Brett Kollmann shared a story on X about Coleman familiarizing himself with his fellow Seminoles by literally dunking on them in a pickup game.  

Though Buffalo fans likely won’t ever see Coleman on the hardwood, they will see the mentality he plays the sport with, as it’s leaked over into how he operates himself on the gridiron. During a recent appearance on the RG3 and the Ones podcast, Coleman spoke about how the ‘attack the ball’ mentality he plays with as a jump-ball wide receiver stems from his basketball experience.

“I think, when they ask about the mindset when the ball is in the air, it’s the same thing,” Coleman said. “Once I jump in basketball, I black out. I don’t think there are very many spots on the court, if I take off, I’m not going to reach the rim. It’s the same mindset in the football game, it’s just, I’ve got more gear on. I hit the ground, I’m like, I’m not tripping, I’m going to be alright. Get up and keep going.

“I think that’s where the mindset comes at. You have to be a different dog. Playing on the Nike circuit coming up and all that, you’ve got to be a dog. They have to count on you to make these plays that you need to make when all eyes are on you."

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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