Will Byron Wesley be the next Gerard Coleman?

Feb 13, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Byron Wesley (22) is defended by Utah Utes guard Dakarai Tucker (14) at Galen Center. Utah defeated USC 79-71. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to argue with the similarities between Byron Wesley and Gerard Coleman when they came to Gonzaga as transfers.  Both are primarily known as slashers, both scored a lot of points at their previous school, and both played for a very weak team in a very strong conference.  That being said, here are three reasons why I believe Wesley will have more success at Mark Few’s program than did Coleman, who transferred out after one season of wildly inconsistent play in limited minutes.

1) Wesley at least needs to be respected beyond the arc:  One of the biggest problems with Gerard Coleman was that he was such a non-shooter that his defender would clamp down in the lane and play off him on defense, clogging up the lane and leaving the poor, reluctant shooter open.  Coleman was just 1/8 from beyond the arc last year at Gonzaga and was only 5/21 during his last year at Providence.  Wesley, while not a great shooter, is at least respectable, hitting 24 three point shots at the tune of 34%, and was actually better during his sophomore year at just under 40%.  Defenders will still need to stay on top of him because he is still a 3 point threat, allowing him to more easily drive by his defenders.

2)  Wesley is much stronger than Coleman: While both players are 6’4, Coleman checked in at 180 pounds last season, while Wesley is currently around 206.  That added strength will allow Wesley to be much more effective defensively at the 3 spot for Gonzaga than Coleman was.  Additionally, Wesley should be able to take shots around the basket that are much more under control than some of the shots Coleman took.

3) Wesley ended his USC career on a much better note than Coleman did at PC: Wesley averaged 20.4 points per game on over 50% shooting during his last 10 games in a Trojan uniform.  Coleman, on the other end of the spectrum, averaged 10.6 points per game over his last 16 games at Providence in 2012 on under 37% shooting, including a 1/7 shooting performance with just 3 points in a Big East Tournament loss to Seton Hall.  What does this tell me?  Wesley was continuing to make strides offensively at USC while Coleman was noticeably regressing at Providence.  With Wesley coming off the best basketball of his career this past March, he has a much better chance to make a really big contribution at GU.