Shocky1;842245872 said:
solo pounded inside with brute strength & crafty footwork for 17 pts on a highly efficient 7-9 fgs along with a dominating 14 boards, 2 blocks and even 3 steals & 2 assists
richard is becoming the unbreakable inside presence he's been growing into since the syracuse ncaa monster breakout performance last season before his cornea reshaping ray charles incident in maui...scouts are wondering if solo can consistently bring forth the effort or if he's gonna mail it in sometimes like he's done in the past
"i think that allen (crabbe) had something to do with richard becoming used to his role as a post player...i think crabbe told him to get in there and do what you do and that how you'll get to the next level...that's where you're going to make your money and have a chance...he's been pretty effective...he's a little concerned in that he felt that after the scratched eye (who knew that monty was a practicing opthomologist?) he wasn't playing as well as he had up to that point...i wouldn't disagree with that...he was in a rhythm...hopefully tonight was a start back to where he was"
-mike montgomery
cal family#
50 yr friendships#
battles in the paint#
during halftime of the santa barbara game i introduced myself to solo's dad, richard jr... he is a very enthusiastic, good guy who along with his wife sheryl are very proud of their son's achievements...richard jr. told me that solo has less than 15 units remaining to earn his cal degree & that he's very hopeful the final classes will be completed this spring semester while juggling both nba combines/workouts with graduation...solo's sister am're is also a cal grad & a professional volleyball player
i asked richard jr re: the roots of solo's preference for offensively playing on the perimeter during his first 3 yrs in berkeley...he asked me "do you really want to know the truth?'...i said "yes" and he told me that "the truth is that richard is an excellent outside shooter" & that he's a "stretch 4"
this week i visited with a nba front office executive & asked him for his thoughts...i also mentioned that solo showed the best footwork of his career down low this past sat (imo his syracuse ncaa breakout game last season was more about relentless rebounding & fiery finishing than crafty footwork)...he chuckled (which is his way of letting me know that i'm a dumb azz), pressed a few buttons, printed out & showed me a scouting report for the fresno state game asking me with a grin, "is this the game you're talking about?"
the nba is a billion dollar biz with virtually unlimited dollars spent on scouting prospects...the in depth detail of the evaluation process & cross checking is truly mind boggling...every time solo snares an offensive rebound or receives an entry pass under the basket and then takes a fadeaway shot, his nba stock goes down...his outside shooting is considered "average"
how well do nba stretch 4s shoot the ball?
dirk nowitzki is a .878 career nba ft shooter & cal's ryan anderson is a .859 career nba ft shooter...richard solomon is a .581 career collegiate ft shooter...a ft is an unguarded open 15 ft shot...solo is "30 basis points" behind nba pure shooters who are stretch 4s
i asked if it is possible that any team might consider solomon a stretch 4
he said "no"
my point is that as parents the worst thing we can do is not 100% support our children's dreams & visions...at the same time there needs to be a very fine balance with real talk too
cal family#
they might be giants#
get paid#
pictured above: the $ move