Kayla Solomon is coming off an impressive junior season where she led St. Mary’s to the New York State Championship game for the second time in her high school career. Along the way, she also piqued the interest of several Division I programs.

Solomon received her first offer from Siena College in February before receiving the second offer from the Air Force a couple of weeks later. She said both offers were a surprise as they were both unexpected.

“It was a great surprise having it be my first one,” Solomon said. “It was like a big relief knowing that it was the first one, and it was just a great experience. I'm so grateful that I was able to get an offer from them.”

The offer from the Air Force came over the phone after building a relationship with the coaching staff over time. However, the offer from Siena came while Solomon took a visit to the upstate New York campus. The coaching staff took Solomon and her parents to a room toward the end of the visit and gave her the offer on the spot.

“I was just going to take a visit. I wasn't really expecting the offer,” she said. “It was really good being able to see the smiles on both my parents' faces. Them being so happy and excited for me was a really good moment for all of us as a family.”

Solomon’s two Division I offers come after a long basketball journey that began at the age of 5 years old. She was inspired by one of her cousins, who always played basketball with her in the backyard. Her cousin taught her how to play the game, and she fell in love with the sport in those moments.

The Class of 2026 shooting guard eventually made her way to the AAU circuit in the sixth grade. She currently plays in her second season with the Riverside Hawks, who are competing in the Rose Classic playoffs.

Solomon averaged 16 points per game this past season as a junior at St. Mary’s. She said now that she has a couple college offers, she feels relieved, but understands that there is more work to do to make sure that she is prepared for the college court in two years.

“It has helped me focus on what I really need to do, like what coaches are really looking for on the basketball court,” Solomon said. “They told me all the things they look for, all the little things, the key details that you bring on the court, and that really has just helped me overall.”

Some of those areas she is focusing on developing are her leadership skills on and off the court, as well as becoming an overall player outside of relying on just her ability to score.

“I definitely think I can grow in being a better leader and communicating with my team since I will be a senior,” Solomon said. “Also, on the defensive end, making sure I make plays on the ball and just pressuring up more and being able to rebound and do everything like passing the ball, like being an overall player.”

As she heads into her senior season, the mindset for Solomon is to win it all on their last go around. Four of five starters are returning for St. Mary’s, and the team overall is only graduating two players.

She said as far as college is concerned, she is focused on getting more offers this summer, and toward September and October will start to make her final decision on where she will spend her collegiate career.

Ultimately, the deciding factors for Solomon will be about the relationship she builds with the coaching staff and the location of the school. She is planning to stay closer to her parents so that they are able to make it to her games.

“I'm just hoping to get more looks this this summer and make sure I like the right fit with the school I choose,” she said.