Before the start of the 2009-10 season, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team got a jump on the future with a high-jumping recruit from California.

Jordan Coleman, a 6-foot-4 guard at Calabasas High, said yesterday he will join the Rainbow Warriors starting in the 2010-11 season. He will be a senior at Calabasas this season.

"I feel really good about the coaching staff over there at Hawai'i," Coleman said. "They really made me feel like they wanted me, and the situation felt right, so I decided I want to go there."

Coleman averaged 11.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game as a junior at Calabasas last season. His statistics are expected to improve this season, when he will become one of the showcase players on the team.

"Numbers don't tell the story with Jordan," said Clint Parks, an assistant coach at Calabasas. "He's going to be a bigger, stronger player for us this year, and he was already pretty good last year. He can finish at the rim, he can shoot the 3, and he can run. He still has to work on his mid-range game, but that's going to come."

Coleman was 5-10 and 150 pounds during his freshman season. He now weighs 175, and has a vertical jump between 35 and 40 inches.

"Just this summer, he was on a (fastbreak) and I saw him go up and catch the lob and reverse-dunk it over a guy," Parks said. "He's real explosive. Hawai'i is getting a special player."

Coleman played for Team Eleate on the national AAU circuit this summer. He was named to several all-star and all-tournament teams, according to Team Eleate coach Marvin Lea.

"He really came into his own this summer," Lea said. "Hawai'i was smart to get on him early because he went from nobody knowing his name to being recruited by a number of schools over the summer."

Lea described Coleman as "smooth" with an all-around game that is "improving every day."

"He's got all this athletic ability, and he understands the game," Lea said. "He's in the gym constantly, so he's only going to get better."

Coleman is primarily a shooting guard, but he also shared time at point guard and small forward this summer.

"I'm trying to work on my whole game," he said. "I'm comfortable at (shooting guard), but if the coaches need me at point, I want to be able to do that, too."

Coleman said he was also being recruited by Boise State, Portland, Southern Utah and New Mexico.

Coleman said he committed to Hawai'i before making an official visit to Honolulu. He is scheduled to make his visit later this month.

"I didn't want to wait," he said. "I know Hawai'i is the place for me."

Coleman turned 17 last month, so he will be only 18 when the 2010-11 season begins for Hawai'i.

"The thing to remember is he's young and he still has a whole year before he gets out to Hawai'i," said Parks, who is a Kahuku High graduate. "If he keeps improving the way he is, the Stan Sheriff (Center) is going to love him. He's a highlight waiting to happen."

Coleman said he will sign a national letter of intent during the "early" signing period in November. He is the first recruit to commit to Hawai'i for the 2010-11 season.

The 'Bows will have six seniors on their 2009-10 roster, so they will need to fill at least six scholarships for 2010-11.

The 'Bows are scheduled to start the 2009-10 season with a closed-door practice on Oct. 16 — the first date that teams are allowed to start full team practices.