Denim Millward
Sports Editor
On Feb. 8, Idaho State forward Jeff Solarin had the game of his life.
Despite his ISU team ultimately falling to the University of North Dakota, Solarin tied his scoring high at ISU with 23 points and set a new high in rebounds, pulling down 20 boards.
He outrebounded North Dakota by himself.
As hard as it is to believe, Solarin’s 20 rebounds exceeded the entire rebound tally of the opposing team.
The impressive, stat-sheet-stuffing performance is becoming more and more common for Solarin, a Denver, Colo. native and junior college transfer to Idaho State.
Most nights, he’s at the very least a huge problem for interior defenders to deal with.
On other nights, such as against North Dakota, he’s an unstoppable force of nature in the paint.
He grabs rebounds seemingly at will on both ends of the floor and seems to put back every missed shot that comes within a country mile of him.
While producing at such a rate in the first year at a Division I school is an impressive feat for anyone, Solarin’s excellence, despite his considerable lack of size for a post player, makes his accomplishments thus far remarkable.
While most Divison I power forwards measure at least 6 feet 6 inches tall, with most being closer to 6 feet 9 inches or taller, Solarin is listed at 6 feet 4 inches.
Even if Solarin was actually 6 feet 4 inches, he’d still be at a significant height disadvantage nearly every night. Anyone who has ever stood anywhere near him would testify to that measurement being exceedingly generous.
So how has he been able to dominate competition at the level he has thus far, while facing a height disadvantage?
While he started his involvement with sports at a young age, Solarin’s promise really started to shine when he was a student at Rangeview High School. Solarin’s first sport was soccer, which he lettered in for two years at Rangeview.
Though he eventually turned his focus to basketball, Solarin’s excellent physical condition and cardiovascular conditioning can be partially attributed to his soccer background.
Solarin’s peak physical shape also contributes to his brute strength, something that really gives his defenders fits and can make Solarin a force to be reckoned with in the paint very reminiscent of Charles Barkley.
After graduating high school, the current junior and Mass Communication major played two years at Northwest College, where his impressive production continued to blossom.
In 2012, his last year at Northwest College, Solarin averaged 16.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He led Northwest College to an appearance to the Region 9 Final Four, was named to 1st Team All-Region 9 and also received National Player of the Week honors.
Almost immediately upon arriving at ISU, Solarin started causing heads to turn and eyebrows to raise.
Senior point guard and team captain Tomas Sanchez was effusive in his praise for Solarin’s rebounding prowess and work ethic when interviewed about his cadre of new teammates in the preseason.
Solarin’s seemingly endless reserve of energy and his high motor are arguably the largest contributor to his success.
All the height advantage in the world won’t help opponents if Solarin can out-maneuver, out-work, out-smart and out-hustle his counterparts on the opposing team.
More often than not, he can.
In addition to individual accomplishments, Solarin also complements his teammates offensively. Solarin’s physical interior presence meshes beautifully with teammate Chris Hansen’s long-range attack and Sanchez’s knack for getting penetration and attacking the basket.
With Solarin there to clean up misses and as a secondary option if Sanchez’s path to the hoop is suddenly impeded, Solarin makes everyone’s job a lot easier.
