Point guard Gary Solomon is HFC’s third NCAA Division I signee this year
HFC basketball player Gary Solomon, Jr. is the third National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 signee from the Hawks team this year. The lifelong Detroiter will transfer to the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, IN, continuing his basketball career on a full-ride athletic scholarship.
In addition to Solomon, the other two HFC players who will play DI basketball this fall include Mak Manciel and Carrington McCaskill. Manciel will play for Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. McCaskill will play for Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant.
Solomon spoke about what prompted his decision to attend USI.
“It’s a real basketball town. The energy there is crazy. The people – the fans, the community – they just love basketball down there,” said Solomon.
“We are really proud of Gary,” said Coach Chris Shepard. “He is an absolute winner. He had a monster year for us, leading the country in assists.”
“Coach Shep’s a cool guy. He did so much for me, for all of us,” said Solomon. “We had a connection. We grew from it and learned from each other. That’s why I ended up playing at HFC.”
HFC transformed Solomon into a leader
An alumnus of Detroit Edison Public School Academy, Solomon attended HFC on a full-ride athletic scholarship. He graduated this spring from HFC, earning his associate degree in general studies. At USI, he will major in communications. His ultimate career goal is to become a fashion designer of streetwear. In fact, he has his own fashion design label called Departure.
“I spend a lot of money on clothes,” he said. “It just felt right to bring out my own clothing line because I love clothes so much.”
Solomon served as one of two team captains for the Hawks during the 2021-22 season. Playing for HFC transformed him into a leader.
“HFC helped me become a leader, on and off the court. Because our team was young, I was more of a person they listened to. As point guard, you have to be vocal and be engaged with all the players. That’s one of the key reasons I turned into a leader.”
Assistant Coach Kirk Bradley is also proud of Solomon’s accomplishments.
“Gary was a tremendous part of our success this season, and we are really excited for him,” said Bradley. “He came to HFC with dreams of earning an associate degree and a DI basketball scholarship. He was able to accomplish both! We demanded a lot of him, both on the court and in the classroom. He was able to exceed our expectations. Southern Indiana is going to love him.”