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Sleeper emerges as MVP of all-VYPE public school hoop teams

Sleeper emerges as MVP of all-VYPE public school hoop teams
When it counted the most, Klein Forest's Calvin Solomon came up huge. Via VYPE

Originally Appeared on Vype


When it counted the most, Klein Forest's Calvin Solomon came up huge.

The 6-foot-7 guard, forward, post helped lead the Eagles to the state title game before falling to Duncanville in the finals.

"He's basically a big point guard, who can guard anyone on the court on defense," coach Cary Black said. "He can take a post to the hole off the dribble or post up a smaller guard. He just makes great decisions."

Solomon faced a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in Rockwall's Samuell Williamson (Louisville) and South Garland's Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky) in the regional tourney. He was a huge part of the Eagles' win over Cibolo Steele in the semis.

"I've felt way more confident in my game this year after coming off of an injury last year," he said. "Playing in the summer against so many top-ranked players and in front of high-major colleges prepared me for the big moments this season."

His teammate KJ McDaniel made the first-team along with Morton Ranch guard LJ Cryer, Antwon Norman of Yates, Noah Thomasson (HBU) of George Ranch and Donovan Williams of Elkins (Texas).

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This season is officially upon us! Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.

Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.

Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.

Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.

Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.

Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.

On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.

The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.

Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.

Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!

And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!

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