Building Character
Bronaugh, Mo. -- At 5 feet, 6-and-a-half inches tall, Buffy Coleman doesn't look much like a professional basketball player, that is until he gets onto a basketball court and actually starts handling a basketball.
"I had two things going against me from the start," Coleman said. I came from a very small town, Heflin has about a thousand people, and I'm very small. I stand 5-foot, 6-and-a-half inches tall. I knew that to overcome the obstacles and achieve my dreams I was going to have to be one of the best basketball players in the world. Not just in Louisiana, but the world."
Coleman was at the Bronaugh school for the first of two presentations at Wednesday at 1 p.m. Students, teachers and even a few parents were on hand to hear him. Coleman told the students that talent wasn't enough to achieve success, hard work, education and attitude were critical.
"Being smart and getting a good education is important," Coleman said. "In order to get anywhere you need knowledge and a good attitude. You need to develop personal skills. Everyone has a talent but you have to work hard to develop it."
To achieve that dream Coleman worked out every day for several hours from an early age. During his high school years he had advanced enough his coach had him teach his teammates ball handling techniques.
Coleman was recruited by the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters and attended training camp.
"I knew I had to do something. The Globetrotters weren't going to come to Heflin to see me so I had to get their attention, so I videotaped myself demonstrating my basketball handling skills," Coleman said. "I sent the tape in and two weeks later I got a call from the general manager of the Globetrotters to come to camp."
Just as Coleman appeared to be achieving his dream an injury side-lined him.
"I attended camp in '93," Coleman said. "I was injured and then I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't get to play with the Globetrotters but working with them was one of the highlights of my life."
After I saw something about the Harlem Wizards on television and I sent a video to them and I got on the team. I played two years for them, '97 and '98, and then I started my own sports entertainment company. I knew that I could either keep playing for someone else and eventually get let go or I could start a company myself so I started my own company."
Coleman said that the choices a person makes determines how successful they can be.
"The choices you make are important," Coleman said. "When I was growing up I had three friends who dealt drugs. My friends tried to get me to make bad choices. If I had let them I wouldn't have gotten to play professional basketball. I'd probably be in jail right now instead of here. Don't let someone else make your choices for you."
Coleman credits his parents with helping him to make the right choices and for motivating him to work hard.
"My parents told me I could do and be anything in life, I just had to work hard and choose well," Coleman said.