Justin Coleman has played 46 minutes of basketball at UNC, which is 46 minutes more than he was expected to play.

“J. Cole had a tremendous accident when he was in high school,” head coach Roy Williams said. “He was told he’d never play basketball, it was going to be challenge to walk and do all those normal things.”

Williams frequently refers to Coleman as “J. Cole.”

Coleman suffered three broken vertebrae in his neck after a dunk attempt in a high school AAU game went horribly wrong.

Doctors told Coleman he may never walk again, let alone play basketball, but after watching his team from the sidelines his junior season, Coleman returned to the court his senior year at Broughton High School.

“Then he was involved in a terrible accident involving a motorcycle and someone was killed,” Williams said. “He’s been challenged as much as I could ever imagine an individual being challenged.”

After all of that adversity, Coleman found himself at UNC. He played on the JV team for two years, before earning a spot as a walk on last year.

He scored one point in 19 minutes his first year wearing Carolina Blue.

Before the 2015-16 season started, Williams rewarded Coleman’s work ethic with a surprise during a meeting with the team.

“I said ‘son we’ve got a scholarship and we’re not going to keep it in our pocket, you’ve done such a great job for us I want you to enjoy it,'” Williams said. “‘This will be nice for you, but a heck of a lot nicer for your mom and dad, we’re going to put you on full scholarship.'”

Williams said Justin Coleman is the kind of kid he just wants to do things for and that he loves his smile.

“You think as a youngster you’re told you’re never going to play basketball again,” he said. “It may be difficult for you to even walk again and you come back from that and then think about being involved in a car accident where someone is killed. It truly is one of those warm, fuzzy, good feeling stories about it.”

The Tar Heels are hoping to put a storybook ending on the senior’s basketball career as they take on Villanova in the national championship game Monday.

Related Stories
‹
Caleb Wilson's GOAT Resemblance: How the Chicago Bulls' New Star Compares to Michael Jordan
Caleb Wilson’s presence at UNC was reminiscent of Michael Jordan. Now, he'll look to continue the comparisons while on the Chicago Bulls.
Report: Longtime Gonzaga Assistant Jorge Sanz to Join UNC Men's Basketball Staff
According to a report from Theo Lawson of the Spokane Spokesman-Review, longtime Gonzaga assistant Jorge Sanz is set to join UNC head coach Michael Malone’s staff in Chapel Hill. Longtime Gonzaga assistant/Director of Operations Jorge Sanz is moving on to North Carolina after eight seasons in Spokane, where he was integral to the program's nonconference […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Cost of Business
Carolina has released its salary structure for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, and right now it has to be a game of wait and see. Mike Malone is making $7.5 million in his first college head coaching season and his new top assistant Chuck Martin is making $500,000. Here is where it gets interesting. The […]
Report: Buffalo Transfer Angelo Brizzi Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Angelo Brizzi, who spent the 2025-26 season with Buffalo, reportedly committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal Wednesday. Inside Carolina first reported the news. UNC will be Brizzi’s fifth school in five years. The guard began his career at Villanova in 2022 – entering college in the same class […]
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season
As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
Former UNC Player Ed Davis Among Several Indicted in NBA Gambling Scandal
Ed Davis, who played for the UNC men’s basketball team from 2008 through 2010 and helped the Tar Heels win the 2009 national title, is among six former NBA players who are being charged with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering as the result of a federal investigation. An indictment published Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s […]
Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network Takeover
The ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]
Chansky's Notebook: What Happened to Henri?
Blame Henri Veesaar's baffling slide in the NBA Draft on the muddled way the league and its agents do business.
The Morning News: Crisis Diversion Facility, Learfield Director's Cup, UNC-NC State Basketball
In today's news: Orange County moves ahead on a new Crisis Diversion Facility, and UNC finishes fourth in the Learfield Director's Cup.
UNC Men's Basketball to Face Illinois in Nashville Hoops Showdown in January
UNC is adding another high-level non-conference matchup to its 2026-27 schedule. The Tar Heels will face Illinois in the Nashville Hoops Showdown on Saturday, Jan. 30. The matchup has been confirmed by both programs and by Bridgestone Arena, which will host the game. Tar Heels 🆚 Fighting Illini in Nashville pic.twitter.com/UuhExCctMB — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]
›