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Men's Basketball
St. Bonaventure Basketball "Continues The March" with Anthony Solomon as its leader. Since Solomon began his tenure on May 5, 2003, he has never turned back in his quest to return St. Bonaventure to its tradition of success and honor. A man of passion, faith and an uncompromising work ethic, it is no exaggeration to state that Solomon has lifted the collective spirit of St. Bonaventure University. The 18th head coach in the storied history of the program, it is safe to say that not one of Solomon's predecessors endured a more taxing first two years on the job. Even while burdened by depleted rosters, Solomon's teams played with a spirit that ensured there were no easy nights for its opponents. The competitiveness of Solomon's undermanned teams surprised many including national champion coach Jim Boeheim, whose Syracuse Orangemen held off the Bonnies twice. In the 2005-06 season, St. Bonaventure's progression continued as the Bonnies fielded a much more competitive team. Solomon's club won eight games, finishing 8-19 overall, including a 6-5 mark against non-conference opponents. Among the Bonnies' setbacks were narrow decisions to NCAA Tournament teams West Virginia and George Washington. St. Bonaventure ranked fifth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring and was one of the better rebounding teams in the conference as well. Individually, senior guard Ahmad Smith was named to the All-Conference team for the second year in a row. He finished his career with 1,621 points. Junior center Paul Williams made an immediate impact in his first season with the Bonnies, and sophomore forward Michael Lee was one of the most improved players in the A-10. Solomon has remained undaunted and unfazed since he stepped foot on campus. He continues to lead the St. Bonaventure program down the path of improvement, inviting all to join him, a fact evidenced by his initial theme of "Marching Forward Together." "St. Bonaventure is a tradition-rich basketball program that really excites me," Solomon said. "I feel honored and blessed that I am able to begin my career as a head coach at St. Bonaventure. The values that are stressed by the University are the values I've lived throughout my life." Away from the basketball court, Solomon continues to stress the importance of community service within his program. The Bonnies are very active in the greater Olean-Allegany area, regularly reaching out to demonstrate their commitment to the fans who support them so steadfastly.
Entering his tenure at St. Bonaventure, he brought 15 seasons of experience as an assistant coach at some of the nation's top programs. Solomon joined St. Bonaventure after three seasons at Notre Dame, where he worked for the well-respected Mike Brey. Each of Solomon's three years there, the Irish advanced to the NCAA Tournament, won 20 games or more and won at least 10 Big East Conference games. Notre Dame was the only Big East member to win 10 or more conference games and advance to the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. In 2002-03, Notre Dame advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finished 24-10. The Irish advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament each of Solomon's first two seasons at Notre Dame and won the Big East's West division title in 2000-01. Among the standout players Solomon coached at Notre Dame were Chris Thomas, Troy Murphy, Ryan Humphrey, Torin Francis and Matt Carroll. Before working at Notre Dame, Solomon spent six seasons at Atlantic Coast Conference schools. He was assistant athletics director for basketball operations at Clemson for two seasons, highlighted by the 1998-99 campaign, when the Tigers won 20 games and were the runners-up in the NIT. Prior to that, Solomon was an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Virginia, for four seasons from 1994-98. During Solomon's tenure at Virginia, the Cavaliers reached the NCAA Tournament twice, highlighted by an Elite Eight appearance in 1995, when they tied for the ACC regular season title. Solomon was an assistant coach at Richmond in 1993-94, Manhattan in 1992-93 and Bowling Green from 1989-92. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Delaware in 1988-89. After a solid high school career in his native Newport News, Va., Solomon headed west to Charlottesville to attend college at the University of Virginia. Although he was not offered a scholarship, Solomon was undaunted. He went through walk-on tryouts his freshman year and earned a full athletic grant-in-aid in Terry Holland's program. That 1983-84 club went all the way to the NCAA Final Four before falling to Houston in overtime, 49-47. Virginia earned postseason berths each of Solomon's four seasons there, going to the NIT in 1985 and the NCAA Tournament in 1986 and 1987. While playing under Holland, Solomon also learned from coaches like Jeff Jones, an assistant who would later succeed Holland, and also from teammates like Rick Carlisle, a guard who is now the head coach of the Indiana Pacers. In the spring of 1987, Solomon graduated from Virginia with a bachelor's degree in rhetoric and communications. While a student there, he met his future wife, Tracy, who was a member of the Cavaliers' track and field team and also graduated in 1987. The Solomons were married in 1991. They have three children: Maya, Kamra and Anthony Jr.
The Solomon File
Quotes on Coach Solomon "Ask anyone in the college basketball world and they'll tell you what a great fit Anthony Solomon is for St. Bonaventure. He is a great fit given all the training he's had over his career. He's a Virginia graduate who coached there and at fine schools his whole career. Hopefully, the last three years at Notre Dame have really trained him. He's been a huge part of our success. He's hungry, well-connected and, most importantly, well-respected. I can't emphasize enough how the Solomon family will be such a positive for the Bonaventure community. That's really important there, and Anthony, his wife Tracy and their kids will make such a positive impact." - Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey "What a great match! Anthony will be a perfect match for St. Bonaventure University. A great University needs a special person running its basketball program, and St. Bonaventure has that in Anthony Solomon. With his experience working at some of the best schools in the country, he'll do a great job there. Anthony is a terrific person and coach." - Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski
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