It is finally official: Gerard Coleman set to transfer for senior year

In some of the least surprising news recently, Jim Meehan of the Spokesman Review reported that senior winger Gerard Coleman will transfer from Gonzaga in order to play close to his hometown of Boston.

Gonzaga wing Gerard Coleman will transfer to another school for sr year, according to sources. Boston native expected to play closer to home

— Jim Meehan (@SRJimm) May 12, 2014

Coleman transferred from Providence after the 2012 season to Gonzaga and instantly had the fanbase excited. He was viewed as an athletic and slashing wing player, one of the facets of the offensive game that the Bulldogs haven't had in quite some time.

While at Providence, Coleman averaged 10.3 points his freshman year and 13.2 points his sophomore year. Those numbers took a pretty severe downswing at Gonzaga as Coleman was never able to find his footing within Few's lineup. Although Coleman flashed displays of his offensive prowess, highlighted by a 21 point effort against New Mexico State, he struggled to maintain any consistent presence in the lineup. Few kept a tight rope last year, and often times, Coleman was at the expense of that leash, averaging a career low 11.4 minutes per game. After starting in his freshman and sophomore years, Coleman had less than double-digit minutes in 19 games over his only season with Gonzaga.

Coleman was a rather polarizing figure for the Gonzaga community. Many fans thought he wasn't being given the time of day by Few, and just as many viewed him as an out-of-control slasher prone to turnovers. The truth probably lands somewhere in the middle, but it is a discussion for another team's fans to have now.

Rumors of Coleman's departure from the school have been circulating for a few weeks now, especially considering USC transfer Byron Wesley visited the campus this past weekend. One has to wonder if the timing of the announcement will coincide pretty quickly with the timing of an incoming transfer announcement. Now that Coleman is out of the picture, the Bulldogs have one remaining scholarship open.

Although his time at Gonzaga clearly didn't work out, from this end, I wish only the best for Coleman and his future basketball endeavors.