ALBANY – Cori Coleman doesn’t like talking about it and she has never made it an excuse for anything. Even some close to her aren’t aware of how serious her asthma is.
But it’s severe enough that it has sent the Murry Bergtraum senior star to the hospital more than 10 times since she was 8 years old and doctors have told her that she really shouldn’t even be playing basketball.
“They want me to move to Arizona and limit the sports,” Coleman said. “I’m not gonna do that.”
Asthma is something that has been a part of her daily life for just about a decade. But last year when she was playing with her New Heights travel team at the Blue Chip tournament, Coleman got sick and that triggered her affliction in a big way. She spent two separate stays in the hospital and missed two weeks of school.
Since then, Coleman’s asthma has kicked into high gear. She takes five different kinds of medication every single day, to keep her allergies and the asthma in check. If Coleman’s allergies flare up, she’s more susceptible to have an asthma attack. She can’t eat cold food like ice cream or drink cold drinks and has to drink hot water to open up her lungs. Coleman also has to keep a strict diet and keep in solid shape.
During games, she always has an inhaler nearby. Not that it always works.
“It’s very annoying,” said Coleman, a Queens native. “When I’m in an intense game my body is there, but my breathing isn’t there. I have all the energy in the world, but I can’t breathe.”
Bergtraum coach Ed Grezinsky says she has never complained about her asthma, but he doesn’t mess around with it. Whenever she says she’s tired or she needs a few minutes to collect herself, he has an extremely quick hook.
“When she says she really needs a blow, I get her our right away,” the legendary coach said. “I never push her. She seems to be able to play through it.”
Coleman says there’s a mental aspect of it, too. If she gets anxious or jumpy, she can get short of breath and that can trigger the asthma.
“I can’t psyche myself out,” Coleman said. “I just have to pay through it. If I was scared I couldn’t do anything active. … Usually I used to have a fit on the court. Now I have to think twice, calm myself down.”
Perhaps that calm can explain how well Coleman has done in big spots this season. And perhaps her pacing herself is the reason why she has been so amazing in the fourth quarter. Coleman has hit huge 3-pointers late against teams like John F. Kennedy, Manhattan Center and H.D. Woodson (D.C.) this year to lead the Lady Blazers to victory. Her crowning moment? A buzzer-beating 3 against St. Peter’s before Christmas that sent the game into overtime. Bergtraum would eventually win the thriller.
“She seems to get the big basket for us whenever we need it,” Grezinsky said. “She’s been a money player for us.”
Coleman had interest from Division I programs over the summer, but rumors caught on that she would not qualify. That isn’t true, she says. Her grades have risen steadily this season and she is waiting on an SAT score that she thinks will make her a D-I qualifier. Grezinsky expects there to be some mid-major suitors for her.
“She’s a great shooter,” he said. She can get to the basket well. She knows how to win. That’s very important. That’s something you can’t put a price tag on. She’s not afraid to take a big shot in a big situation.”
This weekend, she’ll be leading Bergtraum in the New York State Federation Class AA tournament. The Lady Blazers meet Cicero-North Syracuse 2 p.m. Saturday at the Times Union Center. Coleman has already won four PSAL city titles at Bergtraum, but she has never been a regular on a Federation championship team.
If the Lady Blazers win their sixth crown upstate, though, don’t expect Coleman to do much celebrating. It’s not that she won’t be pumped up; it’s just out of necessity.
“I don’t scream much,” Coleman said with a laugh. “I lose my breath more when I talk or scream.”