West Virginia guard Steven Solomon will give Wichita State basketball a close look this weekend
Steven Solomon arrives on Saturday to check out Wichita State’s basketball program. If he likes what he sees, he expects to be a Shocker before he leaves on Monday.
“If everything goes well, I’ll probably end up committing on my visit,” he said. “I’m very serious (about WSU). I’m looking for a good relationship with the coaches, where I pretty much feel at home. Somewhere I can see myself playing and getting better for the next four years.”
Solomon (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) is a senior guard from Morgantown, W.Va., who said he caught the attention of WSU assistant coach Greg Heiar and coach Gregg Marshall at a recent tournament in Raleigh, N.C. They offered him a guaranteed walk-on spot. He said he has a similar offer from West Virginia, in addition to scholarships from several NCAA Division II schools.
One of Marshall’s most well-known statements is that he and his coaches are always recruiting, because “It’s like shaving. If you don’t do it every day, you look like a bum.”
So the Shockers are looking and seem open to adding a point guard to the current group tasked with filling the role performed at an All-American level by Fred VanVleet the past three seasons. Recruiting services mention WSU in connection with players such as Michigan transfer Spike Albrecht and Colorado State transfer John Gillon, both immediately eligible with one season to play. Albrecht, according to the Lafaytte (Ind.) Journal and Courier, has an offer from Purdue and will visit Syracuse this weekend. Gillon, according to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com, narrowed his list to Syracuse, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
Solomon may represent long-term help in the backcourt without the cost of an immediate scholarship. The Shockers are at the NCAA limit of 13 scholarships.
He averaged around 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Morgantown High, which went 27-0 and won the Class 3A title in March. He scored 20 points in the championship game and earned a spot on the All-Class 3A team. Solomon describes himself as a point guard who can play both positions in the backcourt.
“Coach Heiar, Coach Marshall really seem to have liked me when they saw me play,” Solomon said. “Them wanting me to come out and be a part of the program has made me intrigued and interested.”
Paul Suellentrop: 316-269-6760, @paulsuellentrop
A look at the newcomers
▪ Guard Daishon Smith (6-foot-1) earned All-Panhandle Conference honors for Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College. He averaged 16.2 points, making 41.7 percent of his shots and 37 percent of his threes, for Tallahassee (21-12). He averaged 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.3 turnovers.
▪ Pearl River (Miss.) Community College forward Darral Willis (6-8) was named to third-team NJCAA All-American, All-Region 23 and All-MACJC South Division. He averaged 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Wildcats (16-9), making 59 percent of his shots and 75.3 percent of his free throws.
▪ Guard C.J. Keyser (6-4) of Brewster (N.H.) Academy is listed as a three-star prospect by ESPN.com and 247sports.com. He averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Brewster, which went 29-5.
▪ Cedar Ridge (Ark.) guard Austin Reaves (6-4) averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists in leading his team to the Class 3A title. Reaves, who plans to sign with WSU on Wednesday, scored 56 or more four times, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, with a high of 73 against Forrest City in a 117-115 triple-overtime win in December.
This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 10:33 AM with the headline "West Virginia guard Steven Solomon will give Wichita State basketball a close look this weekend."