THE FLATS – Solomon Poole, a highly-rated guard from Jacksonville, Fla., who signed a letter-of-intent with Georgia Tech in November and graduated from North Florida Educational Institute this fall, has been certified eligible to play for the Yellow Jackets.
The 6-0 Poole had been admitted to the Institute last week and was eligible to begin practicing with the basketball team this Saturday, the first day following the conclusion of the fall semester at Tech.
“Our program is really excited to have Solomon join us at this time,” said Gregory, whose team is 6-2. “I’m really proud of all the hard work he has put in to get himself into this position. I know Solomon is ready to help this team in any way he can, and in any role possible. While this is great for our program currently, it will also accelerate Solomon’s progress in the future.”
A 2012 all-state guard at Terry Parker High School in Jacksonville, where he averaged 21 points a game, Poole is a four-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, rated as high as 14th among all prep players at one point and currently No. 37 in his class in both rating services. He played on the AAU circuit for the Atlanta Celtics, and his father, Stacey, played college ball at Florida.
“Solomon has the explosiveness and athletic ability that fits in extremely well with our style of play,” Gregory said on the day Poole signed his letter of intent. “I really like his ability to create scoring opportunities for others and for himself in both the open-court and half-court situations. His tremendous work ethic and toughness will allow him to immediately compete on the ACC level.”
He joins his brother Stacey, Jr., who becomes eligible next week for the Yellow Jackets, making them the first brothers to be on the same Tech basketball team since Jon and Drew Barry in 1991-92
