US basketball scholarship for Solmon

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

National senior netball representative, Christina Solmon, has been offered a two-year basketball scholarship at the Tallahassee Community College in Florida.

Solmon, who has been a regular member of the Sunshine Girls set-up for the past three years, told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday, that the scholarship was made possible through her coach Richard Pollack.

Pollack is the head coach of the University of Technology's male and female basketball teams, where Solmon has been a student for the past two years.

"I see it as an opportunity to pursue something else other than netball, because this is a full scholarship, and so I won't have to pay for anything. I am really happy for the opportunity," said Solmon," who would be pursuing a diploma course in computer technology.

"I am really looking forward to learning new things from new people, which would help me to develop myself as a better person," Solmon, who has been developing her skills with the Cougar's Basketball Club, said, "It would also be good for me in the future because I would have a lot of options going forward," she added.

The 19-year-old Solmon, who has been playing basketball for the past three years, has had an illustrious netball career so far. She said despite accepting a basketball scholarship, she won't giving up playing netball because it will always be her number one sport.

"I am not going to stop playing netball because this is where I started my career and if I am accepted back in the national team whenever I come back, I would definitely be available to play," said the soft-spoken Solmon, who represents Waulgrovians in the Berger Paints Super League competition and is a past student of the Tarrant High School.

Solmon, who plays at both goal shoot and goal attack, created history in 2007 when she became the youngest player to represent the Sunshine Girls at the World Netball Championships which was held in New Zealand. Prior to that, Solmon was voted the most valuable player (MVP) at the Caribbean Under-16 Championships in Trinidad and Tobago.