Xavier's Edmond Sumner announces he's entering NBA Draft
Even in the midst of the recovery process for a season-ending ACL tear in January, the lure of the NBA proved too great for now-departed Xavier guard Edmond Sumner.
Sumner announced Tuesday afternoon via Twitter that he'll attempt to make the jump to basketball's professional ranks. Xavier confirmed his departure in a news release.
"I want to thank Edmond for his efforts over the past three years," Xavier head coach Chris Mack said in the release. "He will forever be a part of the Xavier family. We wish him all the success in the world throughout his rehabilitation and comeback as he prepares for a pro career."
Mack didn't immediately respond to The Enquirer's request for comment.
Few will question Sumner's NBA potential. He was a projected first-round NBA draft pick prior to the season-ending injury at Madison Square Garden in a Jan. 29 game against St. John's University.
But with two seasons of remaining NCAA eligibility and an ongoing rehab process for the injury, many in Xavier Nation will likely be left to wonder "what if." The possibility of Sumner's return for the 2017-18 season was an enticing one, to say the least. That arrangement would have figured to benefit both program and player, too.
Instead, Sumner departs following his participation in parts of three seasons. He gave greatly to Xavier and was an instrumental piece of the memorable, 28-win 2015-16 Musketeers.
He was absent from the court for the formative days of the 2016-17 team's equally memorable run to the 2017 NCAA Tournament's Elite 8 round.
Sumner played in 58 games during his Xavier career, starting 49 of those. He scored 663 total points, and averaged 11.4 points and almost four assists per game over his career.
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ROSTER ANALYSIS: The transition to 2017-18
There's a reason it took Xavier the better part of five weeks to figure itself out after Sumner was lost for the year to injury.
Part of that was the remaining players had to find their own way. There were tweaks to individual roles as well as tweaks to the overall strategy at times.
The biggest cause for the Musketeers' choppy February, of course, was that they'd lost arguably their most explosive player in Sumner.
Sumner was gritty at Xavier, having fought and played through numerous injuries over his career. He was a high-flying dunker, too, and electrified the Cintas Center when the ball was at his fingertips. Sumner's talent is immense, and still untapped in some areas. His personality and continued development could see him to NBA success one day.
With Sumner out of the picture, Xavier's backcourt now belongs to rising freshman and sophomore-to-be Quentin Goodin, at least for now. Goodin grew into his role this winter in Sumner's absence and had a tidy albeit no-frills March.
Xavier fans will hope Goodin's offseason is a productive one and that he's able to shoot a higher percentage next year. Given Goodin's exponential development this past February and March, there's every reason to expect the growth to continue this summer.
The weight of expectation won't fall entirely on Goodin's shoulders, too. The Xavier contingent most likely to return to the program in the fall is a sizable and tournament-tested group.
Junior guard J.P. Macura will again take on a leading role in the program for his senior season, and that's something for Xavier Nation to feel very good about. Xavier's frontcourt is also on solid footing with promising rising freshman Tyrique Jones and rising junior Sean O'Mara, who played the best basketball of his career this March, both slated to return.
Other players currently projected to return for Xavier include rising sophomore Kaiser Gates, and rising freshmen Leighton Schrand and Conor Peterson (both walk-ons).
And as always, reinforcements are on the way. Noticeable reinforcements, too.
The program is also preparing to welcome a consensus top-10 ranked recruiting class. A six-man class consisting of Jared Ridder (Springfield, Missouri, Kickapoo High School), guard Elias Harden (Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Georgia), forward Naji Marshall (Hargrave Military Academy, Greenbelt, Maryland), center Kentrevious Jones (Macon, Georgia, Westside High School), guard Paul Scruggs, of Prolific Prep in Napa, California and junior college transfer Brady Ernst will soon arrive at Cintas Center.
It's a good thing Mack is bringing on such a large class. Thin ranks made practices a delicate balancing act this past season. There often weren't enough players to run five-versus-five scrimmages, something coaches and players alike discussed throughout the year.
Sumner's departure means at least six players from this year's team are departing. Five others have exhausted their eligibility and junior guard Trevon Bluiett is expected to at least kick the tires on declaring for the NBA Draft considering he weighed the option this time last year.
Graduate transfer Malcolm Bernard and senior RaShid Gaston exited the program having played just this season. Senior Tim Stainbrook, a scholarship player, and walk-on players Cullen Barr and Alex Bergen also depart.