News flash: Illinois freshman guard Quentin Coleman is really good. We saw it in all three exhibition games, and we saw it again in official action on Monday night vs. Fairleigh Dickinson .
But is Coleman best-freshman-in-America good? Renowned analytical tool EvanMiya says yes - at least through one game this season. Let's take a closer look at how Coleman earned that status:
Nov 2, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Fairleigh Dickinson Knights guard Raysean Johnson (13) tries to pull the ball from Illinois Fighting Illini guard Quentin Coleman (11) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Per EvanMiya, Coleman was the biggest Bayesian Performance Rating (BPR) riser in the country after Monday's action. His overall BPR rating change of plus-1.70 pushed him from approximately the mid-80s (which would rank No. 83 in the country if he hadn't yet played a game) to No. 28.
The most mind-boggling (and arguably most impressive) part of it all: Coleman shot a clanky 5-for-15 from the field against FDU. He went 2-for-10 from deep and split his one appearance at the free-throw line. His shooting efficiency left a lot to be desired.
Yet despite that, he rose all the way into EvanMiya's top 30, ahead of any other freshman in colllege basketball. Kansas star and projected 2027 NBA Draft No. 1 pick Tyran Stokes is at No. 30, with, coincidentally, Zvonimir Ivisic sandwiched in between.
But Coleman has earned his total rating thanks to his play on both sides of the ball. His offense (4.35) is ahead of his defense (3.14), but it was his defense that actually climbed the most after the FDU game.
So is it just the metrics, or is Coleman actually worthy of his spot in the top 30? Through one game (and a trio of exhibition outings), it's fair to say he is very worthy.
Coleman has already proven himself to be special. His effort and ability on the boards, and even on defense, are already at the top of the charts among players at his position. As we've declared more than once in this space: That kind of desire and tenacity are rare qualities in a player of his talent.
Skill, intelligence, effort - Coleman is at the pinnacle for all three. He is, by the eyeball test or the metrics, already one of the best players in college basketball.
Nov 2, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) shoot the ball over Fairleigh Dickinson Knights forward Pavle Stosic (6) during the first half against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
And Coleman won't be alone in that group. He's joined, at least according to the metrics, by three other Illini. Big Z, as previously mentioned, ranks No. 29. David Mirkovic is at No. 10.
Nothing unexpected thus far, right? But get this: Tomislav Ivisic checks in at No. 6. Yes, per EvanMiya's BPR, only five players in the country have a more positive impact for their team than Tomislav Ivisic.
Oh, and while we're at it, there's this, too: Of the 10 players across college basketball who saw their BPR rise the most after Monday, three of them were Illini freshmen. Zavier Zens and Ethan Brown joined Coleman in that group.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as Illinois' Quentin Coleman Takes EvanMiya By Storm, Becomes No. 1 Freshman .
