The redshirt freshman suffered a stress fracture in his left leg last October, an injury which initially sidelined him in the early portion of the month and forced him to the sideline until after Thanksgiving. By the time he returned, Coleman lagged behind those who had practiced throughout the year and UMass coach Derek Kellogg ultimately determined redshirting Coleman was the smartest move.

So Coleman entered this season with a fresh slate and an opportunity for more minutes. Former forward mainstays Raphiael Putney and Sampson Carter graduated and only Maxie Esho was ahead of Coleman on the depth chart.

Yet until Sunday’s 75-69 victory over Florida State, Coleman still hadn’t played consistent, significant minutes. He played 15 minutes through the first four games of the season (The Minutemen posted a 3-1 record) and Kellogg noted he still wasn’t sure how to use Coleman.

That all changed against the Seminoles, when Kellogg simply didn’t have many other choices.

“I’ve been waiting to try and get him some minutes,” Kellogg said after Coleman played 24 minutes, scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in the win.

“I’ve been trying to figure out when and how, and tonight he proved ‘ You know what, just go ahead and put him in’ … I thought he played very well.”

Esho played only 17 minutes and struggled to remain on the court as he battled foul trouble. Coleman replaced Esho for long stretches in the second half.

“It felt good out there,” Coleman said.

“I was patiently waiting for my time to be called and I was called out there to come do some things and I felt like I did a pretty good job.”

Coleman, who averaged 18 points as a senior in high school, said he wasn’t allowing his ambiguous role off the bench frustrate him.

“I feel like it can if you allow it to,” Coleman said. “Knowing who I’m playing behind, I just have to stay ready.”

Coleman didn’t fill up the stat sheet like his bench running mates Jabarie Hinds and Donte Clark (the duo combined for 30 points), but he affected the game defensively. At 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, Coleman matched up against a cast of Florida State forwards who all hovered at or above 7-feet and held his ground.

Despite their overwhelming size, Coleman and the rest of the Minutemen held off the Seminoles throughout the second half and were only out-rebounded 45-40.

“You just have to be fundamentally sound,” Coleman said. “You just have to box out and put a body on them and they can’t get around you.”

It was the type of performance Kellogg was waiting for from Coleman.

“He rebounded the ball, he did a nice job defensively and gave us some valuable minutes off the bench,” Kellogg said. “We realized that Maxie shouldn’t be playing 39 minutes a night, he should be around 28 to 32.”

Kellogg’s asked for members of his bench to assume a larger role this season. Clark and Hinds have asserted themselves as the first two members off the bench and Kellogg hopes Coleman is the next player to develop a rhythm as a rotational member of his second unit.

Coleman, Hinds and Clark combined to play 77 minutes on Sunday, which may have offered fans a glimpse into the future.

“I feel like it was one of those games where it allowed (Kellogg) to know he could trust other guys and go to guys who haven’t gotten to play a lot of minutes,” Coleman said.

It’s unclear how Kellogg will use members of his bench moving forward. The seventh-year coach is notoriously stingy in allowing young players to play heavy minutes, but is slowly integrating his bench into a more consistent rotation as he manages the minutes of starters Trey Davis, Derrick Gordon, Esho and Cady Lalanne.

Coleman’s content to contribute in whatever role Kellogg asks from him.

“I’m pulling for everybody to be successful, I’m happy with everything that’s going on,” he said.

“I’m hoping to see some increased minutes in the future, but like I said, whatever (Kellogg) wants from me, that’s what I’m trying to give him.”

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.