Phil Hamer
October 16, 2026
Curtis Coleman
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 1/05/57
- Place of Birth:
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 76
- Junior Assoc: TAS - Launceston
- College: Graceland College (1978–1980)
NBL CAREER OVERVIEW
NBL DEBUT
2/03/80
Age 22
LAST NBL GAME
17/08/85
Age 28
TEAM HISTORY
- Launceston1980
- Hobart1983, 1985
CHAMPIONSHIPS
NoneNBL EXPERIENCE
Curtis Coleman made his NBL debut with the Launceston Casino City Tigers at 22 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game.
The Launceston Casino City entered the NBL competition with a grant from the Tasmanian Government and the support of the developers of the state’s second casino, becoming the state’s first NBL team. Rex Johnstone would be named as the Tigers inaugural coach and the team would be built around 24-year-old Ian Davies, who had played for the Australian team at the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Davies (21.5 points) would lead the team in scoring, alongside a strong starting five that included Cliff Martin (19.6 points), Jim Ericksen (17.5 points) and Curtis Coleman (15.0 points).
The team travelled to Canberra for their first game, where a sell-out crowd filled the Showground Stadium. The Cannons, who were looking to repeat their surprise run to the Grand Final the previous year, proved to be a formiddable first match-up with the lead swapping numerous times during the game, before Cannons star Herb McEachin (26 points) hit two crucial free-throws giving Canberra the momentum they needed for the win (69-77). Jim Ericksen, who had just stepped off the plane the day prior to the game, scored 23 points.
The Tigers finished ninth (9-22) in the then twelve team NBL competition, with Davies named in the All NBL First Team.
1983
In 1983, after the demise of the Launceston Casino City Tigers saw the state without an NBL team, Hobart entered the NBL. The Devils would play their home games from Kingsborough Sports Centre and were coached by Keith Scott, who built a team around three Stanwix brothers, Warren, Brennan and Darren and imports Eric Bailey, Marty Green and Curtis Coleman, who had been a part of the defunct Launceston team in 1980.
Hobart would win their very first game of the season, a 45 point victory over fellow Tasmanian expansion team Devonport (85-40). The offensive firepower of import trio Bailey (25.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals), Green (21.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks) and Curtis Coleman (11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals) would put points on the scoreboard, but the league’s newest team struggled to compete against the more talented programs in the competition.
After their initial win, the Devils would lose ten consecutive games until a surprise upset of Nunawading at home (81-73). Hobart would lose the remaining games for the season, finishing dead last with Devonport, who both finished win two wins for the season.
1985
In 1985 Coleman averaged 6.9 points and 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, and helped guide the Devils to a fourth place finish in the regular season with a 2-24 record. ”
Curtis Coleman played three seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Launceston Casino City Tigers and the Hobart Devils. He averaged 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 56 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 28 | Hobart | 2-24 (14) | 19 | 0 | 132 | 50 | 22 | 17 | 33 | 15 | 8 | 40 | 34 | 54 | 134 | 40% | 6 | 10 | 60% | 18 | 29 | 62% | 45% | 43% | 24 |
| 1983 | 26 | Hobart | 2-20 (15) | 22 | 0 | 256 | 112 | 48 | 45 | 67 | 26 | 3 | 79 | 63 | 113 | 313 | 36% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 30 | 40 | 75% | 39% | 36% | 22 |
| 1980 | 23 | Launceston | 9-13 (8) | 15 | 0 | 225 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 102 | 204 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 21 | 36 | 58% | 51% | 50% | 31 | Totals | 56 | 0 | 613 | 162 | 70 | 62 | 100 | 41 | 11 | 119 | 143 | 269 | 651 | 41.3% | 6 | 10 | 60.0% | 69 | 105 | 65.7% | 44% | 42% | 31 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 28 | Hobart | 2-24 (14) | 19 | 0.0 | 6.9 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 7.1 | 40% | 0.3 | 0.5 | 60% | 0.9 | 1.5 | 62% | 45% | 43% | 24 |
| 1983 | 26 | Hobart | 2-20 (15) | 22 | 0.0 | 11.6 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 14.2 | 36% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.4 | 1.8 | 75% | 38.7% | 36% | 22 |
| 1980 | 23 | Launceston | 9-13 (8) | 15 | 0.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.1 | 6.8 | 13.6 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 1.4 | 2.4 | 58% | 51.2% | 50% | 31 | Total | 56 | 0.0 | 10.9 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 11.6 | 41.3% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 60.0% | 0.1 | 0.2 | 65.7% | 44% | 42% | 31 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 31 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
|---|
COLLEGE
Coleman played college basketball at Graceland College, As a freshman in 1978–79 he joined the Yellow Jackets in Lamoni, Iowa and played alongside Ian Davies during Davies’ final college season.
He was a backcourt player on a Graceland team that also featured Greg DeLoney, Rich Solomon, Carl Edgerton, Andy Knapp, Glen Wright, and Jim Nicoletto.
During the 1978–79 season he showed scoring punch in multiple reported games, including an 18-point outing in early January 1979 and a 19-point performance later that month.
In one January 1979 game, he handled the ball on Graceland’s final possession and delivered the pass that led to Greg DeLoney’s game-clinching basket.
In another game from that same stretch, the attention he drew on the perimeter helped open the lane for Rich Solomon, with Coleman and DeLoney pulling defenders away before Graceland fed Solomon inside repeatedly.
Coleman completed two seasons with the Yellow Jackets from 1978 to 1980 and was regarded as one of the team’s standout players during that period.
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