Itoro Coleman

Itoro Coleman joined the Hokies as associate head coach in April of 2024.  A veteran of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Coleman has coached at North Carolina since May 2021 and as a player at Clemson, Coleman was a three-time All-ACC selection and earned All-America honorable mention accolades. A member of the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame, she led the Tigers to the 1999 ACC title and was named tournament MVP. She will be responsible for recruiting, scouting, game planning, guard and post player development, and various external operations projects associated with Coach Duffy.

In her second season in Blacksburg, the Hokies posted a 23-10 overall record and went 12-6 in ACC play, marking just the fourth time in program history Virginia Tech recorded 12 conference victories in a season. The Hokies advanced to the second round of the ACC Tournament with a win over Georgia Tech as the No. 6 seed before earning an NCAA Tournament berth.

Coleman played a significant role in the continued development of Carleigh Wenzel and Mackenzie Nelson, both of whom produced standout campaigns in 2025-26. Wenzel elevated her game after a breakout redshirt sophomore season, leading the Hokies with 15.1 points per game while averaging 16.4 points against ACC opponents. She tallied seven 20-point performances, added a double-double, and ranked second on the team with 112 assists.

For her efforts, Wenzel earned WBCA Division I Coaches’ All-America honorable mention recognition and All-ACC Second Team honors.

Nelson also made major strides under Coleman’s guidance, emerging as one of the conference’s top facilitators. She led the Hokies with 182 assists and averaged 5.7 assists per game while finishing first in the ACC and sixth nationally in assist-turnover ratio. Nelson also ranked second in the conference in assists per game and fourth in total assists, solidifying herself as a steady and reliable presence at point guard.

Her all-around growth was evident throughout the season, as Nelson improved across nearly every statistical category, recording 90 more field goals, 76 more assists, 33 more rebounds and 18 more three-pointers than the previous year.

In Coleman’s first season with the Hokies, Virginia Tech won 19 games, highlighted by a victory over previously unbeaten and 13th-ranked Georgia Tech. The Hokies earned the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro and concluded the season with an appearance in the WBIT.

Coleman was instrumental in the development of Wenzel during the guard’s breakout redshirt sophomore campaign in 2024-25. After averaging 4.2 points per game the previous season, Wenzel led the Hokies with 14.0 points per game, scoring 20 or more points four times and recording two double-doubles. She also paced the team with 117 assists, including two double-digit assist performances. Wenzel thrived in conference play, increasing her scoring average to 15.3 points per game during the ACC slate.

Nelson also showed tremendous growth during her freshman campaign under the guidance of head coach Megan Duffy and Coleman. She finished seventh in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio, providing a steady presence at the point throughout the season.

In her three seasons in Chapel Hill, Coleman helped the Tar Heels to three NCAA appearances, including a Sweet Sixteen run in 2021-22. With Coleman on the sidelines, UNC went 67-31 (.683) and had a 35-19 (.648) record in ACC play.
 
Coleman has consistently helped her program recruit at a high level, assisting the Tar Heels in inking the No. 18 signing class for the 2024 class. Carolina has regularly had athletes earn All-ACC and national recognition for their play.
 
Prior to her time at UNC, Coleman spent one season at Marquette with Coach Duffy in 2020-21. That year, the Golden Eagles finished second in the BIG EAST and concluded the season with a 19-7 record.
 
She also has served as an assistant coach at Penn State, Butler and Liberty, and coached at her alma mater, Clemson as both an assistant and head coach.
 
Coleman enjoyed a long professional career and played in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever and the Houston Comets. She was a member of Team USA in the Pan American Games and at the FIBA World Championships. Coleman played for the Nigerian National Team in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and was captain of that team that gave Nigeria its first-ever Olympic victory.
 
She and her husband, Harold, have three daughters: Jada, Jordyn, Jasmine, and one son, Harold (Dutch) III.
 
She graduated from Clemson in 2000 with a degree in communications with her named etched in the Clemson record books with top-10 marks in scoring (1,409 points), assists (459) and steals (265). In 2008 Coleman was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame.