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Xavier loses Edmond Sumner for the season

By Chris Stone

Jan 29, 2017; Queens, NY, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Edmond Sumner (4) drives past St. John's Red Storm forward Tariq Owens (11) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2017; Queens, NY, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Edmond Sumner (4) drives past St. John's Red Storm forward Tariq Owens (11) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Medical tests confirmed the worst for Xavier fans

Another Big East point guard is out for the season with a torn ACL. Like Creighton’s Maurice Watson, Xavier’s Edmond Sumner is set to miss the remainder of the season after medical tests confirmed he tore his ACL in Sunday’s contest St. John’s, the team announced.

The sophomore point guard was averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Musketeers. He is the team’s best playmaker and helped power an offense that ranks 29th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom.

The point guard position isn’t a deep one for Xavier. Senior Myles Davis left the team permanently after returning for just three games. The most likely scenario is that JP Macura will take over primary ballhandling duties and freshman Quentin Goodin will see increased minutes. Goodin, a former four-star recruit, has been a somewhat inefficient scorer (48.2 effective field goal percentage) and turnover prone (28.7 percent turnover rate) as a backup this season.

The ramifications for both Xavier and Sumner are long-term and significant. At 15-6 overall, 5-3 in the Big East and ranked no. 18 in RPI, the Musketeers look like a strong bet to make the NCAA Tournament. However, they have just two wins over RPI top 50 opponents, so any slippage over the back end of the regular season schedule could move them closer to the bubble.

For Sumner, there are career prospects at stake. The sophomore was projected as a first round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress prior to the injury. Now, Sumner will have to make a decision about his career prospects while not being able to workout for NBA teams during the draft process. In the guard heavy 2017 draft, Sumner may benefit from coming back to school to show he’s recovered and made improvements next season.