That fabled poem by Clement Clarke Moore has set the tone for Christmas Eve for over two centuries.
And if there was silence in the Callaghan home up in Medina County this year it was, in part, because Solomon Callaghan and his dad, Scott, were down at the otherwise deserted Wadsworth High gymnasium, working just as intently on this night as that “jolly old elf with the little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.”
As of late, Solomon — a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard at Wright State who has had many shining moments in his basketball career — had seen his shooting gift turn into a lump of coal.
In five of the Raiders’ first 12 games this season he missed every three-point shot he had took. That included 0-for-5 efforts against Ohio Wesleyan and Green Bay and a combined 0-for-4 against Miami and Eastern Michigan, Wright State’s last two games before going on Christmas break.
After starting 20 games in a row — the final nine games last season when he made the Horizon League’s All-Freshman Team and the first 11 this year — Callaghan had been moved to the bench before the Eastern Michigan game on December 22.
He didn’t score in that game — just as he hadn’t against Miami six nights earlier.
Goose egg games are uncharacteristic of him.
Earlier this season he had 20 points against Radford thanks to 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
He had 21 at Green Bay last season and when he made his college debut against mighty Kentucky at Rupp Arena, he had 15.
Hoping to get back to the good times on the court, he and his dad headed to the high school where they’d spent so much time over the years.
Scott had been a teacher and coach for 34 years and Solomon had memorable experiences on and off the court at Wadsworth High.
Not only had he become the school’s all-time career scorer — his 1,460 points are the fourth most by any high school player in Medina County basketball history — but he had been a top student (4.0 g.p.a. and National Honor Society member), the class president four years in a row and the Homecoming King.
Surrounded by those comfortable confines, Scott said he hoped to remind his son “what he already knew.”
And so, after the Callaghans went to church in the morning, they returned home for lunch and then the family — Scott, wife Marquessa, eldest son Zeke and Solomon — exchanged presents.
After it was dark, Solomon and his dad headed to the gym for a two-hour session.
There was no one else there, Scott said: “It was Christmas Eve. Who goes to the gym then?”
With his dad rebounding for him, Solomon guesses he put up over 500 shots in the two hours they spent there.
On December 26, he returned to the WSU campus and three nights later the Raiders hosted a battle-tested Oakland team that already had faced four Associated Press top-10 teams this season.
Although the 6-7 Golden Grizzlies had been roughed up at then-No. 1 Houston and No. 7 Michigan, they had come within 10 of top-ranked Purdue and 10 days ago lost to No. 9 Michigan State by 9. In between they had notably beaten Toledo and Purdue-Fort Wayne.
Against Oakland, Callaghan again started the game on the bench.
Coach Clint Sargent first sent him into the action with 14:28 left in the half and it didn’t take long for Callaghan to, as his dad put it afterward, “open his best Christmas present this year” on the Nutter Center court.
In an 81-second span he made three straight three-point shots to give the Raiders a whopping 37-17 lead with 9:54 left.
He would make his first five attempts from beyond the arc and finished the first half 5 of 6 from long range for 15 points. He’d add another trey in the second half — making it the best three-point shooting night of his college career — and finish with 20 points to lead the Raiders to the 88-73 victory.
Fellow guard T.J. Burch had 16 points, six steals and four assists; forward Michael Imarigbe had 15 points and three blocked shots; and Dominic Pangonis added 10 points.
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Credit: Joseph R. Craven
Callaghan’s showcase night drew a reaction from everybody who saw it.
After the Raiders’ guard hit his fourth straight three pointer, Oakland’s veteran coach, Greg Kampe, called timeout.
As the beaming Callaghan made his way to the WSU sideline, he was embraced by one Raiders’ player after another.
Point guard Michael Cooper patted him on the back. Burch slapped palms with him and guard Logan Woods leaned over and whispered in his ear and laughed.
When the game ended, Callaghan was at the end of the Raiders’ handshake line. Kampe sought him out, put his hands in the guard’s shoulders and talked earnestly to him for a few seconds.
Later Callaghan would recount their exchange with a bit of a laugh:
“Last year was my first year playing and when we went to Oakland I hit four threes in the first half.
“I came out tonight and I think I hit five and he was just saying, ‘Why are you always doing it to us?’
A new perspective
Callaghan said while a lot of people have helped him try to get back on track, nothing beat the brief respite back home over Christmas.
He comes from a supportive family. His parents adopted both Zeke and him when they were little and their bond was built on love
“When I got home this year, my mom and dad and my brother too, we had some deep conversations in our living room about my basketball,” Callaghan said, “They told me, ‘We know this is what you want. You’ve put so many hours into it. You’ve done the work, so just stay confident when you go on the court.’
“It was cool to hear that from my parents. As basketball players, we don’t get home much during the season, so it means a lot.
“The backing you get from your family is a little different than the support you get from your basketball family. Your parents, your brother, they know you well.”
Scott Callaghan talked about some of the lessons they imparted to Solomon:
“His mom and I have always taught him ‘the team comes first’ and ‘the coach is always right.’
“The idea is that you’re never going to have success unless you trust the people you are with.
“Solomon has complete trust in Coach Sargent and so do we.”
Sargent said he made the lineup switch with Callaghan just “to maneuver his mind a little bit” and give him a different mindset.
He cited a similar move with Bill Wampler, one of the team’s stars a few years ago, that paid big dividends.
Callaghan is familiar with the Wampler story and said he has no qualms about his new address come tip off:
“I didn’t see it as a real blow to me. Coach Sargent made it very clear it was just a change of perspective, It would help me look at the game in a different way and really, tonight, I feel like it worked.”
This isn’t the first time Callaghan has taken the high road at WSU.
He missed part of the preseason with a fracture in his left shooting hand and yet has refused to blame his accuracy woes on the injury:
“If I’m available to play, I believe I can play and I don’t go looking for an excuse. That only hurts you.”
Sargent has seen that attitude from Callaghan time and again, beginning with his first season at WSU when he redshirted:
“I’m just very proud of him. I wish everybody got to see what I get to see: the consistency of his attitude, his effort, his work ethic and the way he celebrates his teammates’ success, even when things might not be going well for him.
“He’s a true role model. That’s why you love to see it pay off like it did (tonight.)”
‘Just choppin’ it up’
Callaghan said one of his biggest supporters on the team was Burch, who transferred in from Ball State this season.
“This dude called it before the game,” Callaghan said with a nod toward Burch as they sat down for a postgame media session.
Burch said the whole team believes in Callaghan and he shared his thoughts with his fellow guard just before the Christmas break:
“I had a 4 a.m. flight back to Dallas and he was like ‘I’m headed back home so I can drop you off (at the airport.)’
“We were in the car, just choppin’ it up, talking about the season and I told Solomon, ‘Just keep your foot on the gas. Keep confident. You’re gonna break through.’
“I believed he was gonna do it … and do it big.”
And that’s just what happened.
Callaghan said that exchange wasn’t just about him, but it said something about the makeup of the entire team:
“I mean it was 4 a.m. in the car and we’re just choppin’ it up about hoops.
“All times of the day, we just think about each other and what’s best for each of us … No matter when or where we are, we want to get better.”
And that includes the night before Christmas at the Callaghan house.
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