When coaches dig into the transfer portal, the first thing many of them do is look at where an athlete is from. After that, they see if there were any prior connections. For Sacred Heart, Raheem Solomon is a perfect example of both of those molding together.
After three successful seasons at Niagara, the Sacred Heart High School product has found its way back home to Fairfield at Sacred Heart University.
Out of high school, he was recruited by Anthony Latina’s staff. They just didn’t land him the first time around due to a tight scholarship situation.
“We actually recruited Raheem, it was an interesting thing. We had one scholarship left, recruiting Raheem and Koreem Ozier and we basically loved them both. We said the first one that says “yes” we gotta take and Ozier said “yes”, said Latina in October. “When recruiting those two guys (Aidan Carpenter as well) there was no “get to know you period” because we did know them already.”
Those two have been key additions to the program, but Solomon has begun his Sacred Heart career like an all-league player.
Through the first 11 games, he has had nine double-digit scoring performances, ranking second on the team in points per game.
On Saturday against Pitt, the Pioneers kept the game close and it was because of his 18 points and 6 rebounds. He followed that up on Monday with 19 points at Stony Brook, playing a season-high 35 minutes.
It’s looked like a simple transition for the big guard.
With his contributions, Sacred Heart’s opened the season with a 5-3 record and are the favorite in the NEC. If he continues playing as he has, SHU could make its first NCAA Tournament in school history.
