Many athletes at various levels will tell you they have heard some version of the “it’s about the journey, not the destination” cliché, usually to encourage appreciation for the grind and to avoid fixating on goals far in the future.
Senior post Nejra Solo has been the very embodiment of that enthusiasm for the journey and the struggle, both during her time at Idaho and long before.
“She’s come a long way from Bosnia to be where she is here today,” Idaho Head Coach Jon Newlee said. “Whether it was expanding her shooting range or working on rebounding fundamentals or literally anything else, she always brought that same work ethic to the court.”
Solo’s journey began in her hometown of Zenica, nearly 5,600 miles from Moscow. She began playing basketball at a young age with plenty of encouragement from her family.
“I was always taller than everyone else and my brother was a basketball coach so he got me started,” Solo said. “I realized in high school that I could go to college, which was a huge opportunity that not a lot of people from my region had.”
Thankfully for the Vandals, Solo was already connected to Idaho through a mutual friend. Solo’s family members were good friends with Armend Kahrimanovic, who played basketball at Idaho in the mid-2000s. Kahrimanovic helped establish contact between Solo and the program, and her journey was kickstarted from there.
“Armend married a girl on WSU’s rowing team and they were visiting Moscow one summer when he connected Coach Newlee with me,” Solo said. “We sent them my tape and my family was thrilled that I could go somewhere safe where they would take care of me and I would have a second family.”
As she began to adapt to new surroundings in a completely new home, there was an adjustment period to acclimate to the culture and the advanced level of basketball.
“Everything was different here, with the language and a much faster game of basketball than I was used to. It used to be that I was tall and that was all I needed, but here people were strong and fast and tall so there was an adjustment period there and with the culture,” Solo said.
In spite of the challenges she faced, Solo said she continued to persist with the same work ethic that made her stick out in the first place. She continued to improve in the gym while continuing to be a model student. She finished her senior season as a Big Sky All-Academic Honoree with a 4.0 GPA after finishing her undergrad of molecular biology and biotechnology in 2017 and beginning a master’s program over the past year.
Over the course of her first few years in the program, Solo said she took time to acclimate to the pace and style of the college game with help from accomplished teammates.
“She was only playing four games a year in Bosnia so to come over here and practice against the kind of competition we’ve had in the program against Ali Forde and the like has really made her better,” Newlee said.
That steady progress materialized into on-court results slowly. Solo played in more games in every season starting after her redshirt year during the 2013-14 season, resulting in 15 games played and her first two starts in her junior season.
“I really started to find my role in my junior year and establish what it was I needed to do to help the team really get better and perform,” Solo said. “I felt way more confident especially towards the end of last year. I just really committed to my role and I think it showed.”
In spite of the slow progress, Solo persisted off the court when others may have given up on the journey.
“She’s been an incredible teammate and role model for our younger players to follow, to see what hard work and perseverance will show you,” Newlee said. “So many kids are ready to transfer or quit if things don’t work out in the first or second year, but she has shown what true perseverance and passion for the game looks like.”
All that work culminated in a breakthrough senior season that saw Solo solidify her role as a veteran leader on a successful team. She started 24 games and recorded career highs in points per game and rebounds per game. Solo played a key role in Idaho’s nine game win streak, including her first career double-double against Montana.
“My senior season was definitely the best year, both for me personally and as a team. You could see on the court that we had real team chemistry,” Solo said. “Every year we had that chemistry, but this year it was just highlighted. It might be my subjective view but it felt like we really just grew together and just had an experience I’ll never forget.”
Her journey may have ended with a remarkable senior season, but her impact on the program will be palpable for years to come.
“We joke and call her ‘grandma’ because she’s been around so long but her teammates really value her and know she’s easy to talk to and she’s ready to give advice,” Newlee said. “She’s a great resource for our younger players who sometimes get frustrated with playing time because she lived that. She’s even got her own office here now that she’s into graduate work, and I’m so happy she chose to chase her dreams here at Idaho.”
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker