Fury’s Solape Amusan Ready to Roll into Senior Season
The last two years have been a period of remarkable growth for Solape Amusan. Amusan is a 6’0″ forward who plays her high school basketball at Woodbury High School. She is currently ranked as the 82nd best player in the class…
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Continue ReadingThe last two years have been a period of remarkable growth for Solape Amusan. Amusan is a 6’0″ forward who plays her high school basketball at Woodbury High School. She is currently ranked as the 82nd best player in the class of 2019 by Prep Girls Hoops.
I enjoyed catching up with Solape at the Mill City Invite and getting to hear about the work that she has been putting in to take her game to the next level. As far as what she’s been focusing on in the gym, she said that, “I’ve been working on expanding my game and my range of shots. Not just being a post but trying to be more versatile.”
I got a front-row seat to watch her increasing versatility while checking out her Fury 2019 Yellow team at Mill City. During the game I watched, Amusan made 3 mid-range jumpers and added a 3-pointer, nothing but net. She is able to score from anywhere on the floor, which makes her a difficult match-up for any defender.
Solape Amusan of Woodbury has been on a 2-year journey of consistent improvementAmusan can be quiet off of the court, polite and mild-mannered. But she flips a switch when the ball is jumped and becomes an absolute beast, particularly in the the post. She is physical, and uses her body to consistently get great position on the block. And once she has the ball she has a nice package of post moves to finish inside. Despite her offensive talent, she told me the two things she takes most pride in are her rebounding and her defense.
College coaches have started to notice Amusan’s expanding game too. She recently received her first Division 2 scholarship offer, and it would be no surprise if she were to secure additional offers in the coming months. Whoever she ends up playing for at the next level will be getting a hard working player oozing with potential.
Amusan’s high school career arc is a good demonstration of the all-around improvement to her game. In 2016, Solape averaged just 5 points per game as a sophomore at Woodbury with limited varsity time. Fast forward to this past high school season, Amusan more than doubled her average points to 11 a game, making her the 2nd leading scorer for the Royals. When I asked her about her role at Woodbury, she said, “This past year was my first time playing a lot of varsity so I just tried to prepare for the season and just get in the gym as much as I could and improve my game.”
And who has Amusan spent the most time with in the gym? None other than Woodbury’s former star point guard, Rachel Hakes. Amusan lit up when speaking about her old teammate. It’s clear that the older Hakes has had a major impact on the way Solape approaches the game. Amusan was quick to give Hakes credit, saying, “She was a good leader and a good role model. She was always there to give me advice & we were always in the gym together. She has been a big part of my success.”
The duo formed a solid 1-2 combo last year. But Hakes will be heading to Fairfield University in the fall, and the Royals will be counting on Amusan to become even more of a leader. I asked Solape what her goals were for her senior season. Without missing a beat, she quickly responded, “To win a conference title. I think we have a lot of potential this year…and we can make a good run.” With Solape’s continued development, the sky is the limit.
Amusan and her Fury teammates will be playing this week at the North Tartan Meltdown AAU National Championship. The tournament runs from Monday 7/23 through Wednesday 7/25 and features some of the top AAU programs from around the country.
(Both photos courtesy of the Woodbury Bulletin)