Solomon Bozeman

{{Short description|American basketball player and coach (born 1987)}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Solomon Bozeman

| image = Solomon Bozeman (50) (cropped).jpg

| caption = Bozeman with Arkansas–Pine Bluff in 2023

| number =

| position = Head coach

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lb = 174

| league = Southwestern Athletic Conference

| team = Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|12|18|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.

| high_school =

| college =

South Florida (2006–2008)
Little Rock (2009–2011)

| draft_year = 2011

| career_start = 2011

| career_end = 2014

| career_position = Point guard

| coach_start = 2014

| years1 = 2011–2012

| team1 = Austin Toros

| years2 = 2012

| team2 = KK Feni Industries

| years3 = 2012

| team3 = Kalev/Cramo

| years4 = 2012

| team4 = Hapoel Yokneam/Megido

| years5 = 2012–2013

| team5 = Texas Legends

| years6 = 2013

| team6 = Kryvbas

| years7 = 2014

| team7 = Al Sadd Doha

| cyears1 = 2014–2016

| cteam1 = Abilene Christian (assistant)

| cyears2 = 2016–2018

| cteam2 = Little Rock (assistant)

| cyears3 = 2018–2021

| cteam3 = Oral Roberts (assistant)

| cyears4 = 2021–present

| cteam4 = Arkansas–Pine Bluff

| highlights =

Sun Belt Player of the Year (2011)
First-team All-Sun Belt (2011)
AP honorable mention All-American (2011)

}}

Solomon Bozeman (born December 18, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He played college basketball for the University of South Florida and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

High school career

Bozeman, son of a college coach, starred at Oxford High School in Oxford, Mississippi for three years as his father served as an assistant at Ole Miss. In 2005, his father was named the head coach at Southern Arkansas University and Solomon played his senior season at Magnolia High School in Magnolia, Arkansas. In his senior season, he averaged 28.5 points per game and led the school to the Arkansas state championship game.{{cite web| title = Solomon Bozeman USF profile | publisher = South Florida Bulls |date = | url =http://www.gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=523318 | accessdate = December 26, 2013}}

College career

Out of high school, Bozeman signed with South Florida. As a freshman in the 2006–07 season, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.5 assists in 30.6 minutes per game. In his sophomore season, Bozeman saw a coaching change and also saw his minutes per game drop. At the conclusion of the season, he decided to transfer to Arkansas–Little Rock (UALR).{{cite web| title =USF guard Bozeman to transfer | publisher = Tampa Bay Times |date = March 18, 2008 | url =http://marketplace.tampabay.com/sports/basketball/college/usf-guard-bozeman-to-transfer/423251 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20131227102822/http://marketplace.tampabay.com/sports/basketball/college/usf-guard-bozeman-to-transfer/423251 | url-status =dead | archive-date =December 27, 2013 | accessdate = December 26, 2013}}{{cite web | title = Jon Teitel's "Big Dance" Interviews: UALR's Solomon Bozeman & Joe Kleine | publisher = collegehoops.net | date = March 9, 2011 | url = http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/jon-teitels-big-dance-interviews-ualrs-solomon-bozeman-joe-kleine-169071 | access-date = December 26, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131228040326/http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/jon-teitels-big-dance-interviews-ualrs-solomon-bozeman-joe-kleine-169071 | archive-date = December 28, 2013 }}

At UALR, Bozeman was a two-year starter. As a senior in 2010–11, Bozeman averaged 16.6 points per game and led the Trojans to their first NCAA tournament bid in 21 years. UALR defeated North Texas in the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship. Bozeman scored 20 points in the final, including the game-winner, and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.{{cite web| title = Arkansas-Little Rock wins Sun Belt title; Oakland takes Summit crown | publisher = USA Today |date = March 9, 2011 | url =http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2011-03-08-conference-championship-roundup_N.htm | accessdate = December 26, 2013}} For the regular season, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.{{cite web| title = UALR's Solomon Bozeman Named All-America Honorable Mention By The Associated Press | publisher = ArkansasBusiness.com |date = March 29, 2011 | url =http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/24279/ualrs-solomon-bozeman-named-all-america-honorable-mention-by-the-associated-press | accessdate = December 26, 2013}}

Professional career

After his college career, Bozeman was not selected in the 2011 NBA draft, but he was taken in the fifth round of the 2011 NBA Development League Draft by the Austin Toros. He started his professional career in Austin, averaging 8 points per game in 12 contests. He spent the rest of the season moving between teams in the Republic of Macedonia, Estonia and Israel. Bozeman returned to the D-League's Texas Legends. He averaged 8.4 points per game for the 2012–13 season.{{cite web| title = Solomon Bozeman basketball-reference | publisher = basketball-reference.com |date = | url =https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/players/b/bozemso01d.html | accessdate = December 26, 2013}}

For the 2013–14 season, Bozeman signed with Kryvbas of the Ukrainian SuperLeague.{{cite web| title = Where are they now?: Solomon Bozeman | publisher = UALR.edu |date = | url =http://ualr.edu/forum/index.php/2013/11/06/where-are-they-now-solomon-bozeman/ | accessdate = December 26, 2013}} In January 2014, he was waived by Kryvbas.{{cite news|title=Kryvbas waive Solomon Bozeman|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/cat/nba/110000/kryvbas-waive-solomon-bozeman.html|accessdate=November 5, 2014|work=Sportando.com|date=January 5, 2014}}

Coaching career

In June 2014, Bozeman was hired as an assistant coach at Abilene Christian under former Little Rock assistant coach Joe Golding.{{cite web|title=Wildcats add assistant coach; hand out promotions to two others|publisher=acusports.com|date=June 20, 2014|url=http://www.acusports.com/news/2014/6/20/MBB_0620143652.aspx?path=mbball|accessdate=August 16, 2017}}

On April 19, 2016, Bozeman returned to Little Rock as an assistant coach under new head coach Wes Flanigan.{{cite news|title=Arkansas-Little Rock names Solomon Bozeman assistant coach|publisher=USA Today|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2016/04/20/arkansas-little-rock-names-solomon-bozeman-assistant-coach/83299826/|date=April 20, 2016|accessdate=August 16, 2017}}

Bozeman was named head coach of Arkansas–Pine Bluff on June 11, 2021.{{cite news|url= https://uapblionsroar.com/news/2021/6/11/mens-basketball-arkansas-native-solomon-bozeman-named-mens-basketball-head-coach.aspx|title= Arkansas Native Solomon Bozeman Named Men's Basketball Head Coach|work=Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions|date=June 11, 2021|access-date=June 12, 2021}}

Head coaching record

{{CBB Yearly Record Start

| type = coach

| conference =

| postseason =

| poll = no

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions

| conference = Southwestern Athletic Conference

| startyear = 2021

| endyear =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2021–22

| name = Arkansas–Pine Bluff

| overall = 7–24

| conference = 5–13

| confstanding = 11th

| championship =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2022–23

| name = Arkansas–Pine Bluff

| overall = 10–21

| conference = 6–12

| confstanding = T–9th

| championship =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2023–24

| name = Arkansas–Pine Bluff

| overall = 13–18

| conference = 8–10

| confstanding = T–8th

| championship =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2024–25

| name = Arkansas–Pine Bluff

| overall = 6–25

| conference = 3–15

| confstanding = 11th

| championship =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Arkansas–Pine Bluff

| overall = 36–88 ({{Winning percentage|36|88}})

| confrecord = 22–50 ({{Winning percentage|22|50}})

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record End

| overall = 36–88 ({{Winning percentage|36|88}})

| poll = no

| polltype = no

}}

References

External links

[https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/players/b/bozemso01d.html D-League stats]
{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20131227031259/http://www.ualrtrojans.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7400&ATCLID=1570510 Little Rock Trojans bio]}}

{{Southwestern Athletic Conference men's basketball coach navbox}}

{{Arkansas–Pine Bluff Golden Lions men's basketball coach navbox}}

{{Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}

Category:1987 births

Category:Living people

Category:Abilene Christian Wildcats men's basketball coaches

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Estonia

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Israel

Category:American expatriate basketball people in North Macedonia

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Qatar

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Ukraine

Category:American men's basketball coaches