Vernell Eufaye "Bimbo" Coles (born April 22, 1968) is an American retired professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He received his nickname from a cousin in reference to a country music song of the same name. Coles was a standout at

Greenbrier East High School Greenbrier East High School is a consolidated school in Fairlea, West Virginia, that serves grades 9 through 12. It is a part of Greenbrier County Schools. Greenbrier East High School is located on Spartan Lane, just off US 219 near Lewisburg, ...

Lewisburg, West Virginia Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County. Geography Lewisburg is located approximately one mile north of the Greenbrier River ...

. At Greenbrier East, Coles played basketball,

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and football. Coles was more heavily recruited to play college football than basketball before announcing his intent to play basketball in college. In football, he was twice named all-state and once named All-America. As a shortstop and outfielder, Coles claimed to be selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. He was recruited to play

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. He played his

for the Virginia Tech Hokies for four seasons from 1986 to 1990. Coles set the school and Metro Conference records for career points and the school record for career assists. He was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and

West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame The West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame is an athletics hall of fame in the U.S. state of West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Asso ...

. He was a member of the

United States national basketball team The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. They are the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in ...

which won a bronze medal in the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

. Despite not having played baseball since high school, Coles was drafted by the California Angels in the final round of the

1990 Major League Baseball draft The 1990 Major League Baseball ( MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...

. His NBA career started when he was selected by the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

in the 1990 NBA Draft, and immediately traded to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

in exchange for veteran guard

Rory Sparrow Rory Darnell Sparrow (born June 12, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Suffolk, Virginia, Sparrow played at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, ...

. After Coles' first of two stints with the

, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, and also played with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. He was utilized primarily as a backup point guard. Coles' brother, Sidney, played basketball for two years at

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

and for two years at

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

, one of which was under head coach Billy Donovan. In 2000, Sidney was hired as an assistant coach at

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

under head coach Steve McClain. Until 2021, Coles coached at his alma mater of

References

External links

NBA stats
@ www.basketball-reference.com

@ www.nba.com

@ www.sports-reference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Coles, Bimbo 1968 births Living people American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks players Basketball coaches from Virginia Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Virginia Boston Celtics players Cleveland Cavaliers players Golden State Warriors players Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Miami Heat assistant coaches Miami Heat players Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in basketball People from Lewisburg, West Virginia People from Covington, Virginia Point guards Sacramento Kings draft picks United States men's national basketball team players Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball players