VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota men's basketball head coach Eric Peterson has announced the hiring of Jovan Coleman to his staff as an assistant coach heading into the 2026-27 season.

Coleman joins the Coyote staff after gaining experience at the NCAA Division l level, most recently at Nicholls State as the associate head coach and as a graduate assistant at Creighton, in the NAIA at Brewton-Paker College and in the NCCAA level at Toccoa Falls College.

In his two seasons at Nicholls State, the Colonels posted a 34-33 record and a 25-17 record in the Southland Conference while advancing to the SLC Tournament Semifinals in 2024-25 and the quarterfinals in 2025-26. The 2024-25 season saw Jamal West Jr. named to the Southland All-Conference Second Team.

Coleman spent the 2023-24 season at Creighton as a graduate assistant under head coach Greg McDermott. During his time in Omaha, Coleman played a key part in the development of All-Big East honorees Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander. Scheierman was a first-round selection in the NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, while Alexander signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets. The Bluejays won 25 games that season and made a run to the Sweet Sixteen.

The year prior, Coleman was the top assistant at Brewton-Parker College where he was integral in the recruiting, signing and development of the program's first all-conference player in 10 years.
Coleman, a proven recruiter, was key in Toccoa Falls College success in 2021-22 as an assistant coach by signing and developing the NCCAA South Region Freshman of the Year and National NCCAA Second Team All-American. After spending three seasons as a student manager at Mississippi State, Coleman began his coaching career at the high school level at Pearl High School in Mississippi.

Coleman earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Psychology, Kinesiology, and Education. He earned his master's degree in organizational leadership from Creighton.
 

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