Former Teammates Headed to Niagara
Late last week, Sacred Heart (CT) High School senior guard Raheem Solomon signed a National Letter of Intent with Niagara University.
Solomon had a storied four year high school career, even while overcoming a major knee injury in his junior year. He's the third all-time leading scorer in Sacred Heart history with over 1,500 career points. He was named Player of the Year by both the NVL as well as the Republican American's The Zone.
More impressive than his individual accolades or achievements is the success that Sacred Heart has had during his four year career as they won three state championships and NVL championships in all four years. Incredibly, Solomon never lost a conference game during his four years of high school.
Solomon was known for his athleticism and physical tools as an underclassmen but dramatically improved his skill set, even while rehabilitating from his knee injury, over the course of the last year. His explosiveness gradually re-emerged as the season went on as well so Niagara is now getting a player who can both make tough shots from the perimeter as well as athletic plays at the rim.
Solomon will also have a familiar face joining him next year at Niagara as Purple Eagles' head coach Chris Casey announced on Wednesday that Ousmane Dip would also be joining the team next season. Diop is a native of Senegal who attended Sacred Heart last year as a senior, but did not play. He began to make a name for himself last spring while running with the Mass Rivalsand appeared to be on the verge of breaking out this fall before he too suffered an ACL injury that cost him his entire post-graduate season at the Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania. If healthy though, he has a definite upside given his 6-foot-9 frame, physical gifts, and developing tools.
That duo joins a Niagara team that won 19 games this year and is expected to return leading scorer and Connecticut native Kahlil Dukes next season.
Raheem Solomon