California State University Northridge Athletics
Meet the Matadors: Alex Merkviladze & Matt Solomon
11/18/2020 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The CSUN Men's Basketball team is sporting a new look this season with 10 student-athletes joining the team and looking to make an impact in 2020-21. With the start of the season rapidly approaching, GoMatadors.com had an opportunity to speak with the new faces on the team to talk goals for the season, high school, basketball memories and interests.
#23 - Alex Merkviladze, Forward, Freshman
A native of Kutaisi, Georgia, Alex Merkviladze brings versatility to the Matadors' front line with the ability to shoot and rebound. The 6-9 forward was a standout at Modesto Christian School where he helped the team win league championships each season.
Merkviladze earned first-team all-league and all-city honors in his senior season as he averaged a double-double. He also helped the Crusaders advance deep into the postseason multiple times. Modesto Christian won the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs and advanced to the regional semifinals of the state open division championships in 2017-18. A season later, he helped guide the Crusaders to the championship game of the CIF State NorCal playoffs as well as an appearance in the second round of the state championships.
In addition to his success in high school, Merkviladze also has gained international experience, playing for the Georgian National Team at the Division B U-18 European Championships in 2019. He averaged 10 points and five rebounds in eight games at the event.
GoMatadors.com: How have been practices been going?
Alex Merkviladze: Practices have been challenging but fun. I'm very excited to be around D1 athletes and very excited to be around such high-level coaches. As a freshman, I have to learn a lot about defense and offense but I believe I'm getting better each and every day. The coaches have been supportive and so have my teammates.
GM: What made CSUN the right school for you?
AM: CSUN was the right choice for me because the coaching staff here are very experienced and helpful in developing players and getting your game to the next level. Also, the strength coach is one of the best in the U.S., which is very helpful to become a better athlete.
GM: What are your goals for the upcoming season?
AM: My goal for this season is to make it to the NCAA Tournament and also earn the Freshman of the Year award, which I believe are realistic goals. We are ready to get both of them done.
GM: What is your favorite high school memory at Modesto Christian School?
AM: My favorite high school memory would have to be in my junior year when we beat the top-three school in the U.S., Salesian College Prep by one point in the open division quarterfinals. It was one of the most interesting and exciting games I've ever played.
GM: Consistently, Modesto Christian was at the top of its league when you were there. What made your team so successful on the court?
AM: Throughout my high school career my team was always successful. I believe our dedication and work ethic played the biggest roles in our success. Also, our coach Brice Fantazia always put in the work for us on and off the court and he believed in us. All of these were factors that led to our success.
GM: What was your experience like playing for the Georgian National Team?
AM: When it comes to the Georgian National team it's always different because every time I step on the court for my country, my people are behind me. I do not have the right to play a bad game - that's just a rule. The competition is high because we are basically playing against the best players from each country, which makes the games more exciting.
GM: Who is your favorite athlete to watch?
AM: Zaza Pachulia and Tornike Shengelia.
GM: What's your favorite sport other than basketball?
AM: Rugby.
GM: What's your favorite movie?
AM: Meet Joe Black.
GM: What's your favorite T.V. show?
AM: MasterChef Georgia.
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 #13 - Matt Solomon, Guard, Freshman
Originally from Newbury Park, Calif., Matt Solomon joins the Matadors after missing last season due to injury. Solomon brings to CSUN scoring pedigree, leaving Newbury Park High School as the school's all-time career scoring leader (1,520 points).
The 6-2 guard broke Daniel Bobik's Newbury Park High School scoring record in his senior season. Solomon would average 25.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his final campaign, which was highlighted by a 43-point game against Calabasas High School. He was named Marmonte League Most Valuable Player in 2018-19 while he earned All-CIF Division 3AA Second Team honors.
The Solomon family also has a rich CSUN background with Matt's father, Mike, being a prominent member of the Matador baseball team in the 1980s. A two-year letterwinner, Mike Solomon won a Division II National Championship in 1984 under Bob Hiegert and was inducted, along with his teammates, into the Matador Hall of Fame in 2018.
GoMatadors.com: What have practices been like over the past few weeks?
Matt Solomon: Practices have been going really well. It feels great to get back into things and start playing again. After not really playing for a year, it feels really good to be back on the court but there's also a lot of rust because it's been so long since I've really played.
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GM: What did it feel like to have to sit out last season?Â
MS: I obviously wish I was healthy last year and didn't have to sit out but I tried to take the positives from it and really study the game. I tried working on getting to know the game better, watching certain players to see what they did and just pick up on the little things.
Â
GM: What made CSUN the right school to come to?
MS: CSUN really attracted me because of the coaches and the overall environment. I feel like we have the best coaching staff in the country and I felt like CSUN was a place where I could really become a better basketball player and learn the most. It is 30 minutes away from where I live in Newbury Park so that's pretty cool as well. Also, I really liked the players. They are amazing guys on and off the court.
GM: You had an excellent career at Newbury Park High School, talk a little bit about that success. What did it mean to you to have the career scoring record? What are your memories of your 43-point game?
MS: I had an amazing time in high school and I loved my time playing there at Newbury Park High School. Being the all-time leading scorer is surreal because that was a big goal of mine. All I remember from that 43-point game is that I had no idea that I had that many points until my coach told me after the game in the locker room. What I learned is all that stuff is great, being the all-time leading scorer and having an amazing high school career, but once you get to college none of that really means anything. The things I did in high school, a lot of the other players on the team did the same at their high schools. I have to work my way up from the bottom again, just like I had to as a freshman in high school.
GM: How did you get started in basketball?
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MS: All I remember is that I touched a basketball as a young kid, probably around the age of five, and I instantly fell in love with it.
Â
GM: Who is your favorite athlete?
MS: Allen Iverson.
Â
GM: If you weren't playing basketball, what sport would you be playing instead?
MS: I'd be playing football, either as a receiver or safety.
Â
GM: What's your favorite hype song?
MS: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.
Â
GM: What's your favorite T.V. show?
MS: Peaky Blinders
#UniteTheValley
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#23 - Alex Merkviladze, Forward, Freshman
A native of Kutaisi, Georgia, Alex Merkviladze brings versatility to the Matadors' front line with the ability to shoot and rebound. The 6-9 forward was a standout at Modesto Christian School where he helped the team win league championships each season.
Merkviladze earned first-team all-league and all-city honors in his senior season as he averaged a double-double. He also helped the Crusaders advance deep into the postseason multiple times. Modesto Christian won the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs and advanced to the regional semifinals of the state open division championships in 2017-18. A season later, he helped guide the Crusaders to the championship game of the CIF State NorCal playoffs as well as an appearance in the second round of the state championships.
In addition to his success in high school, Merkviladze also has gained international experience, playing for the Georgian National Team at the Division B U-18 European Championships in 2019. He averaged 10 points and five rebounds in eight games at the event.
GoMatadors.com: How have been practices been going?
Alex Merkviladze: Practices have been challenging but fun. I'm very excited to be around D1 athletes and very excited to be around such high-level coaches. As a freshman, I have to learn a lot about defense and offense but I believe I'm getting better each and every day. The coaches have been supportive and so have my teammates.
GM: What made CSUN the right school for you?
AM: CSUN was the right choice for me because the coaching staff here are very experienced and helpful in developing players and getting your game to the next level. Also, the strength coach is one of the best in the U.S., which is very helpful to become a better athlete.
GM: What are your goals for the upcoming season?
AM: My goal for this season is to make it to the NCAA Tournament and also earn the Freshman of the Year award, which I believe are realistic goals. We are ready to get both of them done.
GM: What is your favorite high school memory at Modesto Christian School?
AM: My favorite high school memory would have to be in my junior year when we beat the top-three school in the U.S., Salesian College Prep by one point in the open division quarterfinals. It was one of the most interesting and exciting games I've ever played.
GM: Consistently, Modesto Christian was at the top of its league when you were there. What made your team so successful on the court?
AM: Throughout my high school career my team was always successful. I believe our dedication and work ethic played the biggest roles in our success. Also, our coach Brice Fantazia always put in the work for us on and off the court and he believed in us. All of these were factors that led to our success.
GM: What was your experience like playing for the Georgian National Team?
AM: When it comes to the Georgian National team it's always different because every time I step on the court for my country, my people are behind me. I do not have the right to play a bad game - that's just a rule. The competition is high because we are basically playing against the best players from each country, which makes the games more exciting.
GM: Who is your favorite athlete to watch?
AM: Zaza Pachulia and Tornike Shengelia.
GM: What's your favorite sport other than basketball?
AM: Rugby.
GM: What's your favorite movie?
AM: Meet Joe Black.
GM: What's your favorite T.V. show?
AM: MasterChef Georgia.
Â
 #13 - Matt Solomon, Guard, Freshman
Originally from Newbury Park, Calif., Matt Solomon joins the Matadors after missing last season due to injury. Solomon brings to CSUN scoring pedigree, leaving Newbury Park High School as the school's all-time career scoring leader (1,520 points).
The 6-2 guard broke Daniel Bobik's Newbury Park High School scoring record in his senior season. Solomon would average 25.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his final campaign, which was highlighted by a 43-point game against Calabasas High School. He was named Marmonte League Most Valuable Player in 2018-19 while he earned All-CIF Division 3AA Second Team honors.
The Solomon family also has a rich CSUN background with Matt's father, Mike, being a prominent member of the Matador baseball team in the 1980s. A two-year letterwinner, Mike Solomon won a Division II National Championship in 1984 under Bob Hiegert and was inducted, along with his teammates, into the Matador Hall of Fame in 2018.
GoMatadors.com: What have practices been like over the past few weeks?
Matt Solomon: Practices have been going really well. It feels great to get back into things and start playing again. After not really playing for a year, it feels really good to be back on the court but there's also a lot of rust because it's been so long since I've really played.
Â
GM: What did it feel like to have to sit out last season?Â
MS: I obviously wish I was healthy last year and didn't have to sit out but I tried to take the positives from it and really study the game. I tried working on getting to know the game better, watching certain players to see what they did and just pick up on the little things.
Â
GM: What made CSUN the right school to come to?
MS: CSUN really attracted me because of the coaches and the overall environment. I feel like we have the best coaching staff in the country and I felt like CSUN was a place where I could really become a better basketball player and learn the most. It is 30 minutes away from where I live in Newbury Park so that's pretty cool as well. Also, I really liked the players. They are amazing guys on and off the court.
GM: You had an excellent career at Newbury Park High School, talk a little bit about that success. What did it mean to you to have the career scoring record? What are your memories of your 43-point game?
MS: I had an amazing time in high school and I loved my time playing there at Newbury Park High School. Being the all-time leading scorer is surreal because that was a big goal of mine. All I remember from that 43-point game is that I had no idea that I had that many points until my coach told me after the game in the locker room. What I learned is all that stuff is great, being the all-time leading scorer and having an amazing high school career, but once you get to college none of that really means anything. The things I did in high school, a lot of the other players on the team did the same at their high schools. I have to work my way up from the bottom again, just like I had to as a freshman in high school.
GM: How did you get started in basketball?
Â
MS: All I remember is that I touched a basketball as a young kid, probably around the age of five, and I instantly fell in love with it.
Â
GM: Who is your favorite athlete?
MS: Allen Iverson.
Â
GM: If you weren't playing basketball, what sport would you be playing instead?
MS: I'd be playing football, either as a receiver or safety.
Â
GM: What's your favorite hype song?
MS: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem.
Â
GM: What's your favorite T.V. show?
MS: Peaky Blinders
#UniteTheValley
Â
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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