Matt Solomon sweeps the court
The ball bounces up and down on the hardwood as he dribbles up the court. Solomon takes the ball to the rim and is contested. He makes the shot and the crowd goes wild.
Matt Solomon is one of the many star players on Newbury Park High School’s basketball team. He is talented in shooting, dribbling, passing and defense and he’s only a sophomore.
Solomon started playing basketball when he was 5 years old. The first travel team he played for was the Ventura Heat in fourth grade. Now he plays for the Kings Basketball Academy.
The club team he plays on has helped because the practices translate to the game. “(The practices) give me a bunch of confidence,” Solomon said.
Solomon has been the only underclassman to make the varsity team for two years in a row. “I don’t really think of being the only sophomore, I just try to go out and play my game,” Solomon said.
Being young has not affected Solomon’s play on the court. In his second year of high school basketball, Solomon averages 13.3 points per game which is the most on the team. He is an offensive powerhouse and his teammate, Brandon Smith, junior acknowledges that.
“Offensively, I don’t think there’s a player in the league that can guard him. He’s a threat to anyone on the floor. He can score well and defensively he’s been starting to pick it up,” Smith said.
It has been Solomons’ goal to take his talents to the next level. Growing up he idealized players like Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers. Solomon has tried to mimic some of Iverson’s dribbling moves and this makes him almost unguardable.
Solomon’s teammates and coaches think of him very highly. The varsity basketball head coach, Mike DuLaney thinks his talents are limitless.
“He has grown so much from last season. He is one of our many team leaders. I look forward to his progress from game to game! He has a bright future. He has qualities and abilities that can take him very far in life and basketball,“ DuLaney said.
Solomon’s worked on his skills on the court since he was a young kid, but as he progressed at the sport it has raised many eyebrows. His teammates and coaches believe that his talents can take him as far as he wants.
His goal for his basketball career is to, “play (in) college and hopefully play basketball for a living,” Solomon said.
