Steven Solomon - PG/SG - 6'2" - 195lbs - 2016

[Dan]

Baker was a legit D1 athlete, he just wasn't known because of where he played. This guy is a known player and only has full ride offers below the D1 level.

[WSUwatcher]

Well, slow down, Dan -- Solomon may indeed be more the second coming of Jared Walker than of Ron Baker, but if you look back at what D-1 offers Baker had coming out of high school, they weren't exactly impressive or abundant.

[WuDrWu]

Was Googling for some info on this young man and found this.........


My guess is Steven shows up on campus ridin' a Hog.

[Wuzee]

Found a full-game video of the W Va. AAA State Championship Game between Solomon's Morgantown Mohigans and Huntington High, won by Morgantown 65-62 in OT.

Our boy (No. 3) dropped 20 on 'em in the final as Morgantown overcame a nine-point 4th Q deficit. Solomon's little brother, Nicky, is the PG on the team.

http://wvmetronews.com/2016/03/19/complete-metronews-class-aaa-boys-basketball-title-game-broadcast/

[Dan]

Well, slow down, Dan -- Solomon may indeed be more the second coming of Jared Walker than of Ron Baker, but if you look back at what D-1 offers Baker had coming out of high school, they weren't exactly impressive or abundant.

True, that's why I said Ron wasn't a known prospect, but he was indeed a legit D1 athlete - Ron was totally off the radar due to being in Scott City, no AAU, etc. We'll see if Solomon is, but my guess is that he's closer to Jared Walker.

[shockmonster]

This mystery shouldn't last long.

We heard about Ron Baker's potential shortly after the summer trip that WSU took when he was a walk-on Freshman. I haven't heard glowing reports regarding Barney, so I doubt he is in this category (it doesn't mean he cannot be a third option at the 5 later on in his career). If SS is in this category, we should hear very soon that he has great potential that has been overlooked by everyone.

[ShockdaWorld]

https://twitter.com/strizzle_/status/727216379020070913

Anyone else unable to get this link to work today? It worked fine yesterday, but today it appears that the tweet has been deleted. Hopefully he just got tired of everybody congratulating him.

[WSUwatcher]

Can walk-ons travel with the team on summer trips assuming they're already enrolled? Could be a nice little welcome to Wichita for Solomon.

[MadaboutWu]

Time to change the thread title--the man is a Shocker! Welcome abroad Steven!

[1972Shocker]

Interesting get. Not sure what West Virginia high school basketball is like but getting a walk-on from that far away who averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the undefeated West Virginia 3A state champion which I believe is the largest class in West Virginia.

Not sure why Steven did not get more attention from D-1 recruiters. In looking at the videos of his games it may be that he doesn't appear to have the athleticism to play at the D-1 level. Perhaps viewed as too slow to play the point and and on the smallish size at the 2 given his level of athleticism. However, he does seem to have a good BBIQ going for him. Will he ever play much at WSU remains to be seen. I would hesitate to compare him to Ron Baker. I am thinking more of a slightly shorter version of Graham Hatch. IIRC correctly there were a lot of questions about whether Graham had the D-1 goods. That included Graham questioning himself. Graham made himself into a solid player. Perhaps Steven will follow something along that path with perhaps a redshirt year in his future.

In any case, I like this get. It really is a no risk, unknown but potential reward get. If Steven finds out he does not have the goods after a year or two he can always move on to a situation better for him. If he proves to be a contributor at WSU some significant level then it is win-win.

Welcome to Shocker Nation Steven and the very best of luck to you.

[Art Bunch]

He will fill the JR Simon role. As in scout team ace.

[KC Shox]

This is a head scratcher for me, he came a long way from home just to walk-on at WSU? The out of state tuition has to be a killer for the kid not to mention the ancillary items such as room and board, books, food, etc. At least in Ron's situation, in-state tuition is far more manageable. I guess this is a testament to what WSU has elevated itself to and the dividends that are being paid.

[Aargh]

3A is the large school classification in WVa. The attendance range is from 782 to 1857.

Morgantown has 1617 students.

http://www.wvmat.com/statetou/16classes.pdf

[WuDrWu]

This is a head scratcher for me, he came a long way from home just to walk-on at WSU? The out of state tuition has to be a killer for the kid not to mention the ancillary items such as room and board, books, food, etc. At least in Ron's situation, in-state tuition is far more manageable. I guess this is a testament to what WSU has elevated itself to and the dividends that are being paid.

Tuition cost is of no concern to his family. They define the American spirit and success story. I suspect he'll embrace the entrepreneurial edge to a WSU education.

[WSUwatcher]

Good point, Doc. Wichita and WSU are certainly good places for a budding entrepreneur to be. And if he can play basketball, so much the better.