Toyaz Solomon 6’7 165 2019 Northwest Halifax High School, Littleton NC
Toyaz Solomon’s length at 6’7 with a 6’10 wingspan obviously caught my attention as I made my way from court to court at the U-Turn Sports Complex in mid June. Within a few possessions he used a nice dribble move showing surprising quickness for his 6’7 165 pound frame and buried a jumper off the dribble that was picture perfect in form and silky smooth in execution. Soon thereafter I watched him bring the ball down the floor and initiate the offense showing a solid handle, very good vision and decision making skills. He guarded a shooter on the perimeter and an opposing big in the post. He scored on three point jumpers; pull up jumpers in the lane, a violent stick back dunk and driving layups. Toyaz’sversatility is amazing; he can do just about everything and does it effortlessly and at a high level! Toyaz is a long wing who has surprising athleticism and a skillful perimeter game. He shows surprising quickness in the open floor, the ability to change directions with the dribble and stay quick and on the attack. He has solid footwork and body control pulling up off the dribble for the jumper. His mechanics, high release, good elevation and sound footwork make his shot almost impossible to block. Toyaz has good accuracy from three point range both stepping into his shot off the dribble and moving off the ball for a catch and shoot opportunity. He is tough to guard off the dribble due to his length,deceptively quick first step and ability to quickly elevate into his jumper. He is a skilled, smart ball handler who can get his shot off the dribble and also use his dribble to create offense for teammates. Toyaz is deadly on catch and shoot and has the ability and savvy to get some easy looks in close by working off the ball. He has a quick and consistent release and can really shoot it. Toyaz has a very high basketball IQ on the offensive end and is a threat at all levels. He skillfully executes basic dribble moves but varies the speed on his dribble and changes his speed nicely using hesitations and jab fakes. Despite his lengthy, thin frame he can finish with contact and attacks the rim fearlessly; won’t hesitate to dunk on you!Quickness, length and skill combination allows him to be an impact player on both ends of the floor. His length and effort allows him to contest seemingly every shot using his mammoth wingspan to play off his man and still get a hand up on everything and his quickness helps him deny penetration. Toyaz is so long it looks impossible to drive around him when he gets in his defensive stance and his wingspan seemingly covers the entire painted area! He is difficult to shoot over because of his standing reach. He has excellent anticipation, deflects a lot of passes and gets steals off the ball playing in the passing lanes which he converts into quick scores as he gets end to end with good quickness off the dribble. He can guard multiple positions and while not being an ideal post defender due to his slight frame, shows a willingness to fight for position and battle inside.Toyaz is a good rebounder especially on the offensive end using his long reach and ability to read the basketball off the rim and get good position. He is such a valuable player because he has the physical tools, sound skills and versatility to play any position at the high school level and impact a game. As a next level prospect his length, polished skill set and high IQ make him an intriguing perimeter prospect who will no doubt catch the eye of DI and DII coaches.