Solomon Jones:  Big Man, Big Dreams

[Brad]

Dayton Beach

news-journal online

Big man; big dreams

By TONY JONES

Staff Writer

Solomon Jones has always been considered a diamond in the rough.

As a skinny 6-foot-7 high school senior, Jones was thought to be raw -- an exceptional, undersized athlete who needed seasoning before moving on to play Division I college basketball.

He accomplished that at Daytona Beach Community College, refining his skills and making his mark as an elite big man. He continued his rapid improvement at the University of South Florida, averaging 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds for a Bulls team that could muster only one win in its inaugural Big East season.

Along the way, Jones made third-team all-Big East, the only South Florida player to earn postseason honors. Jones now is hoping to take the next step, and make himself known before the NBA Draft in June.

Jones entered the postseason as an afterthought, a nice player who wasn't projected to get drafted. One weekend changed all that.

Jones went to the Portsmouth Invitational, a pre-draft camp in Virginia for college seniors who hope to improve their stock, from April 5-8. Now 6-foot-10, and at 230 pounds, Jones made the all-tournament first team, a list that included Duke's Sean Dockery, Cincinnati's Eric Hicks and Marquette's Steve Novak.

Jones' brilliant showing did two things. First, it caused his draft stock to soar -- he's now projected by nbadraft.net to go 54th to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Secondly, it puts him in prime position to receive an invite to the Orlando pre-draft camp, the top pre-draft camp the NBA offers. Should the Mount Dora hometowner get invited and play well, he would almost certainly get drafted, and his stock would soar even higher.

The Orlando camp, previously held in Chicago, will run from June 4-6.

"Solomon made himself a lot of money by playing well at Portsmouth," said Marty Blake, the NBA's director of scouting.

"Right now he's definitely in the conversation in terms of receiving an invite to Orlando. He's put destiny in his hands now. He has to do well in his workouts, and he has to keep the right attitude, but he helped himself out a lot by showing up to camp when some of the other top seniors backed out."

There are some players who thrive at the professional level, free of the shackles of the collapsing zone defenses and pesky double teams that define the college game. Jones may be one of those players.

He's developed into a great rebounder, who has the athleticism and anticipation to track down caroms not in his area. His leaping ability allows him to finish around the basket with dunks and put-backs. He's never lost the timing to block shots, and his humble background has breeded a work ethic that's unusual at this level.

Those attributes were all on display at Portsmouth. Playing on a team that featured big college names like Iowa's Jeff Horner and Oklahoma's Terrell Everett, Jones carved out a niche by playing with a motor that never stopped. He posted two double-doubles in three games, the best being a 16-point, 10-rebound, four-block performance in the tournament championship game, which his team won.

Along the way, Jones outplayed some of the biggest names college basketball had to offer. He scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against Michigan State's Paul Davis, a 6-foot-11 center projected to go in the first round. In that game, Jones held Davis to four points and four rebounds while he shot 2-of-7 from the field.

Those are the things scouts like to see. They don't want a player who puts up numbers against meager competition. They want to see a player hold his own against other great players. Jones has done that and much more.

"Right now, I'm aiming high," Jones said. "I think I played pretty well at Portsmouth, but I need to get better. I have to do well in my workouts. I want to get drafted in the first round."

tony.jones@news-jrnl.com

2006 Mock Draft

Here's a 2006 NBA mock draft, courtesy of www.nbadraft.net (visit the Web site for its top-60 selections):

1. Portland Tyrus Thomas, LSU

2. Chicago LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas Southern

3. Charlotte Adam Morrison, Gonzaga

4. Atlanta Andrea Bargnani, Italy

5. Toronto Rudy Gay, Connecticut

6. Boston Rodney Carney, Memphis

7. Minnesota Brandon Roy, Washington

8. Golden State Josh McRoberts, Duke

9. Houston Randy Foye, Villanova

10. Seattle Patrick O'Bryant, Bradley

Also

54. Cleveland Solomon Jones, South Florida

Solomon Jones in 2005-2006

SCHOOL: South Florida

POSITION: Power forward/center

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6-foot-10/230 pounds

NUMBERS: 13.2 points, 9.8 rebounds per game

Story Link

[lotsofbull99]

6'7?  That's pretty tall for a defensive lineman!  We need more big men at USF

[Joe]

I have heard through the grapevine that the Magic have him on a short list of people to take with their 2nd rounder. They really like him and feel he could be a steal of the draft.

We're really gonna miss this guy next year.

[Brad]

From the "Whaddya know dept."

Sol was already drafted....to the USBL:

The Cagerz selected Southeast Missouri State guard Roy Booker with their second pick, then chose 6-10 forward Solomon Jones from South Florida with their third pick. They finished their draft by selecting 6-1 guard Sheldon Pace from Southwest Baptist (Mo.) in the fourth round.

Cagerz officials aren’t optimistic about getting the 6-10 Jones or Pace. Jones averaged 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds while Pace averaged 13.9 points, 8.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

“I’d like to have Solomon Jones,” Flax said. “He participated in Portsmouth and did very well. But I think the chances of him playing in Salina are slim.

Story Link

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I might have been too busy with my taxes to notice...

[BULLfreak]

I have heard through the grapevine that the Magic have him on a short list of people to take with their 2nd rounder. They really like him and feel he could be a steal of the draft.

We're really gonna miss this guy next year.

Good maybe a Bull in OTown will set the city right  

[flsportsfan83]

It will take alot to set that city straight

[BULLfreak]

alot of explosives

[Greg Auman]

i had a note on the USBL last week, day after the draft. solomon has said he has no interest in playing in the USBL ...

[BULLfreak]

what about going overseas

[ChiTownBull]

^^^ more likely than the USBL