Young joins Krug at Princeton

Chris Young is the latest high school hoops star to declare himself a Tiger Penn assistant coach Steve Donahue and the men's basketball program was close to landing a recruiting class that would have turned coach Fran Dunphy's mustache sideways with joy. It, however, never materialized, as two of the three Ivy League blue chip prospects, Chris Krug and Chris Young, passed on the Palestra, opting to take their basketball talents north to Princeton's Jadwin Gym. But what the Quakers' staff was left with as a recruiting class was the least-known piece to that jigsaw puzzle -- Dan Solomito. While he's not Krug or Young, the 6'7" scoring threat may prove a steal for the Red and Blue. "I have confidence in him," Solomito's basketball coach at St. Andrew's, John O'Connell, said. "He's a straight arrow. He's not into smoking, drinking, partying. He's managed to become the big man on campus without all that." Penn's plan was to secure a frontcourt trio who would spend a year apprenticing seniors Jed Ryan, Paul Romanczuk and George Mboya before jumping into the limelight. Krug, the most highlighted prospect, was sought after to sign as Penn's center. Donahue's No. 2 recruit, 6'10" power forward Chris Young, was supposed to succeed Romanczuk at the four. The Highland Park, Texas, native averaged 15.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per game en route to first team All-Texas honors. But on May 5, Young followed Krug's lead to Old Nassau. That left the Quakers with just Solomito -- the least heralded of the three. As a senior, he was All-Boca Raton, averaging 19.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, playing all five positions on the floor. But sitting out his junior year to transfer from school in Montclair, N.J., to the heralded basketball boarding school in Florida cost him in the recruiting process. Penn, Princeton, Yale and William & Mary were the only schools to give the Boca News Player of the Year much of a look. And the Quakers were the only program that treated Solomito like a player in their future plans. "He actually said that he felt wanted at Penn," said Steve Ricciardi, Solovino's AAU coach in New Jersey. "He just felt it was a more comfortable situation. He liked the setting and education and hit it off with the coach." While the Penn coaching staff may have missed the ball on Krug and Young, most programs lost sight of the New Jersey AAU star when he left home for St. Andrew's. Recruiters following him in Florida couldn't find him in the summer leagues since he returned north to play AAU at home for St. Anthony's coach Bob Hurley. But perhaps with the fear that Krug and Young would slip away, Penn maintained a careful eye on Solomito, both at St. Andrew's and in Montclair, N.J.,where he worked out with St. Anthony's basketball coach Hurley and played in a local summer league with Florida State's James Felton. While he couldn't slam a basketball in ninth grade like Krug or power through an all-Texas front-court like Young, Solomito shows auspicious signs of becoming a player that will help the Quakers in years to come. "I think he's going to be an asset for the program in the team version," Ricciardi said. "He understands the coaching of the game. Not just playing it." The void left by Krug and Young's decision to join Penn's nemesis are not going to be easily overcome. But at least the landing of Solomito in a Red and Blue uniform should help soften the blow.

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