Why Desert Oasis star Coleman will ‘fit in perfectly’ at Air Force

By Jesse Granger

Wednesday, May 25, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The ink has barely had a chance to dry on Desert Oasis star Aamondae Coleman’s letter of intent, but his career is only beginning.

When the Air Force Academy-bound Coleman joined the Desert Oasis varsity basketball team in 2013 as a sophomore, the Diamondbacks were coming off a dismal 6-20 season.

The school had just hired a new coach — Ryan Fretz — and was far from ready to compete in the Sunset League, and Coleman was a lanky 15-year-old who lacked strength to battle down low.

Three years later the Diamondbacks just capped off the best season in school history, and Coleman recently signed his letter of intent to play college basketball for the Air Force Falcons.

Coleman’s transformation at Desert Oasis came to an end Tuesday night with the Division I Senior All Star Game at Foothill High School.

“Desert Oasis had their best season in school history, and a lot of that is a testament to Aamondae and his work ethic,” Fretz said. “When you see somebody on his level working that hard, it just filters down to everyone else and brings up the competition level of the team.”

Coleman scored only five points in Tuesday night’s exhibition, but brought the gym to its feet with a rim-rocking put-back slam in the game’s opening minutes.

More important, he got to spend time on the court with Fretz, who coached the Sunset team to a 103-85 win over team Sunrise, and fellow teammate Andrue Aguilera.

“He is my best friend, and these last two years have been great with him,” Aguilera said. “He’s probably the most hardworking dude you will ever meet. He always wants to get into the weight room and the gym, and he’s a great shooting partner and a great friend in general.”

All of those characteristics will serve Coleman greatly in his next step, which is the Air Force Academy.

“He’s going to fit in perfectly,” Fretz said. “Because of his work ethic he won’t have any problem with the military side of it, and academically he is a 3.9 GPA student.”

But while it does seem like a perfect match, Coleman didn’t make the decision lightly.

“I talked to my parents and family about it and I felt like it was the safest route,” Coleman said. “If pro basketball doesn’t work out I feel like the military would be the best Plan B for me in life. It will be hard but it will be worth it.”

Coleman’s grandfather was in the U.S. Marines, while his uncle was in the Air Force.

“They’ve told me a lot of stories, and I expect it to be hard at first but I will push through it,” Coleman said.

That should give him a leg up on the competition when he starts basic training in July, but it isn’t where his family lineage benefits end.

Coleman’s father, Marcus Fizer, was an All-American at Iowa State and the fourth overall pick of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. Fizer played six years in the NBA and nine more years of professional basketball around the world.

“He always pushes me to the limit,” Coleman said. “He hasn’t stopped pushing me either, because my career is only starting. I thank him and love him for that.”

Fretz believes that Coleman may be as good of a fit on the court at Air Force as he is off it.

“He’s a beautiful inside-out player,” Fretz said. “If he needs to post up somebody that is smaller than him, he can do that at the next level. He has a nice outside shot, or he can dribble-drive.”

Coleman averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as a senior, and recorded a double-double against Bishop Gorman in the Regional Semifinal.

“I think the biggest thing I improved on in my career at Desert Oasis was my confidence,” Coleman said. “Half of the game of basketball is confidence. When you’re confident out there on the court, you feel like you can make any shot and score at any time.”