Unsung Hero: Iowa State and Kansas

The Cowboys had another tough week, dropping two close contests to Iowa State at Gallagher-Iba and at Kansas’s Allen Fieldhouse. Oklahoma State has yet to win a conference game (sitting all by themselves in the cellar of the Big 12), but the future is bright for this team; they are making strides, and learning to win as a young team. Jeffrey Carroll continues to be the most improved player in the conference, adding 21 points against ISU and 23 points against KU this week. Phil Forte looks like he’s coming out of his early-season slump, leading the Cowboys on Wednesday with 24 points and adding 10 against the Jayhawks.

Two players have broken out for the Cowboys this week, Davon Dillard and Mitchell Solomon. Dillard has played some this season, but in very limited minutes. Against Kansas though, he showed throughout his 20 minutes of play why he was a 4 star recruit out of high school. He had 6 points, 8 rebounds, and a MASSIVE block on future lottery pick Josh Jackson (even though it was called a foul). He provided a spark off the bench, and I think the best is yet to come for him. Check out Dillard’s ridiculous athleticism on this play.

While Dillard had a great game, and certainly could be the unsung hero this week, I’m going to lean towards the other player mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Mitchell Solomon is my unsung hero this week. Solomon has had a rather...interesting career as a Cowboy. He has been a fan favorite at times, and has had other moments where fans wonder how he even got a scholarship. But this week, he has proved his worth as a Cowboy. On Wednesday against Iowa State, Solomon had 6 points and 6 rebounds; this has been a prototypical game for him throughout his career. But on Saturday, Solomon broke out offensively and it surprised everyone. Solomon had 16 points, all in the second half, including a personal 10-0 run. This stat line came as a shock to everyone, especially since he has only averaged 3 points per game for his career, and only had one other game in his career over 10 points.

Even the official Oklahoma State basketball twitter account was shocked by what everyone witnessed in Allen Fieldhouse.

At 6’9, Solomon has to be a rim protector for the Pokes this year, and if he can stay out of foul trouble, he can help be a force for the Cowboys the rest of the season. I hope that the best is yet to come for Davon Dillard and Mitchell Solomon!