DePaul Offers Ball
Since he arrived at Scotland Campus in the fall of 2019 as a bone-thin 14-year-old sporting size 14 sneakers and a deft left handed touch, Virginia native and 6-foot-3 point guard Solomon Ball oozed of upside.
Having grown and added muscle to a once spindly frame, Ball has become more vertically explosive while rapidly evolving as a pesky on ball defender. With his body transformation, the lefty has been able to embrace contact and manufacture points in a variety of ways.
The Class of 2023 point guard scored 23 points, including 10-for-10 from the free throw line and doled out six assists in St. James' loss to Southern California Academy at the storied St. James Invitational Tournament last night.
This morning, he was offered by DePaul University after a Zoom session with head coach Tony Stubblefield.
DePaul, George Washington, VCU, Howard, and several others have offered Ball, a playmaking point guard. Ball said he's bounced back seamlessly from a fractured thumb which shelved him for ten weeks.
"It feels great to be back, almost like I never left," said Ball, who is also hearing from Xavier on a consistent basis.
"I have to be able to create for my teammates and put them in spots to succeed while also being aggressive looking for my shots. And, guarding the strongest player on the opposing team. That's really my role here."
In harkening back on his time at Scotland Campus, Ball recalled it as his first whiff of high end, national level basketball.
Though he played on the high school team, he found himself entrenched in battles with guys on the prep national team like Terell Strickland (James Madison), Darlinstone Dubar (Hofstra), and Abou Ousmane (North Texas).
He went against Montverde HS, guarding current Detroit Piston Cade Cunningham at the very same St. James Invitational he is currently playing in.
"Being around top competition every day pushed my development and kept me in the gym," Ball said.
"I would work out all the time at Scotland, getting countless reps on the shooting machine. I still have the same out-working mentality today, because I know someone else could be out there working when I am tired."
Playing for Team Takeover helped maximize Ball's visibility this summer, providing a significant EYBL stage for him.
While he learned from bigger and more highly acclaimed players on Team Takeover and during his brief one year stay at Scotland, he's now the reputable recruit and focal point at St. James.
"At St. James, Coach allows me to be free and trusts me to make good decisions with the ball, which keeps my confidence sharp," Ball said.