DAYTON, Ohio — For some teams in the final four at the OHSAA boys basketball tournament this weekend, they weren’t supposed to get this far. That’s the case for Dayton Chaminade Julienne. The Division II Catholic school is relying on a few of their senior leaders this weekend, including AJ Solomon who is awfully familiar with UD Arena.
What You Need To Know
- Dayton Julienne Chaminade is in it’s first final four since 2015
- Senior point guard AJ Solomon is especially glad after missing half the season last year due to a meniscus tear
- Solomon is also looking forward to playing in UD Arena, where his dad is an assistant coach for the University of Dayton’s men’s basketball team
- Solomon’s dad won’t be there this weekend because of UD’s trip to the NIT, but Solomon said he knows he’ll be supportive from afar
Every day when Solomon enters the gym, he’s reminded how lucky he is to be there.
“Just grateful to be out here, grateful to be at practice everyday,” Solomon said. “I don’t take any days for granted now. Because I lost that and I didn’t have the opportunity to play, so can’t take anything for granted anymore.”
That’s because last year, he tore his meniscus and had to miss the second half of the season. But now, as a senior, he’s looking forward to his first final four appearance, a spot many didn’t believe his team would get to as the fifth seed.
“A lot of outsiders probably didn’t think we’d get here but we always believed as a team that we could get here,” he said.
But the Eagles won’t have to travel far for the big game. The state semifinal is being played at UD Arena, just minutes from their school.
“It’s really crazy to think about,” Solomon said. “I mean I remember them, I remember when OHSAA announced it would be at UD and I was like wow that’s kind of crazy. Like, that would be cool to go back and play there for my last year.”
It will be extra special for Solomon, since his dad is an assistant coach for the University of Dayton men’s basketball team.
“I’ve been on the court a couple times,” he said. “Got a couple shots up out there. Seen a lot of big games on the court, so I’m used to the atmosphere in there. So I’m just excited to really play there.”
While his dad won’t be able to be there this weekend, as the Flyers travel for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), he knows his dad will be supporting him from afar.
“My dad has always traveled in my life a lot, so I’m used to it,” Solomon said. “He supports me anywhere he’s at.”
Though Solomon has won two state titles in baseball, he’s hopeful that the basketball team will get a ring too.
“I know how special that is,” he said. “And it would be pretty special to bring it back and win a state championship in basketball. So that would be pretty special.”
