Lakes' Solbrig happily says 'Aloha' to basketball

Although he hates the cold, Dalton Solbrig isn't quite as bothered by our harsh winter temperatures as he usually would be.

He can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sunlight, that is. Extra warm sunlight.

Next winter, subzero temperatures won't at all be on Solbrig's radar. Neither will snow and wind chill. No longer will he need to bundle up from head to toe.

"Tank tops and shorts," Solbrig said. "That's pretty much all I'll need."

Plenty of sunscreen will also come in handy. And Solbrig won't want to forget the new snorkeling equipment he got for his birthday earlier this month.

Solbrig, a 6-foot-6 senior forward for the Lakes basketball team, has got to have one of the most enviable college opportunities at his high school, and possibly in all of Lake County.

For the next four years, he's going to call the University of Hawaii home.

"I can't believe I'm going to go to school at a place where people go to vacation," Solbrig said. "I'm so blessed."

Solbrig made the painstaking decision to skip his junior season of basketball last winter so that he could spend more time competing with his club volleyball team, Adversity in Vernon Hills. Although he grew up playing basketball and long considered it his first love, Solbrig's hunch was that volleyball, not basketball, would give him a better chance of continuing his athletic career at a major Division I school.

He was right.

Solbrig, a forceful attacker at the net who followed in the footsteps of big brother Mason, a volleyball player at Dominican University, impressed dozens of college volleyball coaches when his club team competed at the Under-17 nationals last summer. Suddenly, Hawaii, a national power, was on his short list.

"We actually lost our last match at nationals and I remember being all bummed and I walked (to the bench) to get my bag and I turned back around and there was this line of (college) coaches waiting to talk to me," Solbrig said. "That made me feel a lot better. It was fun talking to all those guys.

"The coach from Hawaii was the last coach in line."

Before he knew it, Solbrig was scheduling an official visit to Hawaii. He flew there in October with his mother, Debbie. She had been there before, but Solbrig had not.

"I remember sitting in the window seat, looking out as we were getting ready to land and it was like a movie. It was gorgeous," Solbrig said. "I was taking pictures of the beaches and looking down at this crystal clear blue water. I was just floored.

"I don't think that place is ever a tough sell for the coaches there."

Solbrig not only fell in love with the scenery and 80-degree fall temperatures, he also made an immediate connection with the coaches and the other players at Hawaii.

"It's a really diverse group of guys on the team. There's a guy from England, one's from Serbia, one's from Canada. I like that," Solbrig said. "The coach is originally from Chicago, so we really connected.

"It was fun there. I also loved the food and the culture. I got a tour of the islands, we went to the beaches. My mom wasn't sure about (the distance from home), but she said that she could tell it was the place for me."

Solbrig agreed, and signed shortly after returning from paradise, picking Hawaii over Harvard, which wooed Solbrig not only for his volleyball skills, but also for his grades. He's got straight A's with five advanced placement classes and a 4.83 grade point average.

Since signing, Solbrig has been in basketball mode. And he couldn't be happier.

"I am so glad I'm back this year," said Solbrig, who's been in the basketball program since his freshman year and also played feeder basketball for Lakes. "Even though I'm going to be playing volleyball in college, I still really love basketball.

"I knew I had to pick volleyball last year, because volleyball is going to help pay for school. I think I made the right choice, but it was hard. Basketball is so fun for me. I love it. I missed playing last year, and I think if I had played last year, this could have been a pretty big year for me."

As it is, Solbrig is a starter for the Eagles. He leads the team in blocks and averages a solid 7.3 points and 5 rebounds per game.

"Dalton is a really nice defensive presence for us, with his shot-blocking abilities. It's nice to have a big kid in the lane like that and that was something we didn't have last year," Lakes coach Chris Snyder said. "He also gives us a nice scoring option.

"We're just glad he's back. He's a kid you want in the program, which is why we left the door open for him to come back this year. We knew he was so conflicted about what to do last year. It was probably one of the first really tough decisions he's had to make in his life. But obviously, it all worked out for the best and now he's getting to have fun with basketball. He's all in. He knows that this is his last chance to play basketball like this."

Solbrig's particularly excited about the Eagles' big rivalry game tonight at Antioch. And he's also determined to dunk in a game. Right now, he's behind teammate Ethan Sage in that department.

"Ethan has two dunks already this season," Solbrig said. "I haven't gotten one yet."

Bummed about that, Solbrig's mood quickly changes when he's reminded that he has all-time bragging rights on his college pick.

"Yeah, my friends are pretty jealous about that," Solbrig said with a laugh. "We keep talking about how this is the last winter I'm going to have with cold days. I'm so excited about that.

"I'm trying to get them to come out for a visit next year."

That shouldn't be a tough sell either.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

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