University of South Alabama Athletics

MOBILE, Ala. --- Two former University of South Alabama men’s basketball players are coming off impressive campaigns in their professional debuts in Finland.

DeAndré Coleman (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Ronald Douglas (Baton Rouge, La.), who completed their college eligibility in 2009, made the transition to the Finnish 1st Division, the second level of the country’s professional pyramid.

Both played two seasons each at South Alabama, leading the Jaguars to a total of 46 wins and a trip to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Coleman was a dominant force overseas, ranking in the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists and blocks, and scored in double-figures in 16 of 17 games. He was third in the 1st Division in scoring (21.0), first in rebounding (13.5), fifth in assists (3.0) and tied for seventh in blocks (0.5).

Racking up 13 double-doubles, including one in each of his last seven games, Coleman recorded 20 or more points 10 times and tallied a season-high 30 on Nov. 22, shooting 11-for-17 from the floor.

Coleman played the first two games with Karhu Kauhajoen before moving to Kori-Konkarit Loimaa where he finished the season. LoKoKo ended the 2009-10 campaign with an 11-11 record, good for seventh in the league and one place shy of the promotion playoffs.

“It was a good season,” said Coleman. “I learned a lot of things about the business and basketball in general. The style of play over there is different – you have to be ready for anything on any given day. I stayed over there for almost seven months and it was a good experience.”

Douglas played all 20 games for Kaarinan Ura Basket where he averaged 15.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per contest. His rebounding average was good for seventh in the league, thanks to 12 double-digit performances, including a high of 17 on two occasions.

"Finland was a tremendous learning experience for me," said Douglas. "I'm just so blessed to get a chance to see another part of the world and I really enjoyed the experience. The biggest thing about going to Finland is that it helped me mature as a man. I was fortunate enough to have one of the best coaches in Finland. I was able to learn so much in a short period of time."

He ended the season with a season-high 30-point effort March 7 vs. league runner-up Lapua. Ura Basket went 8-13 for an eighth-place finish.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—