Introducing 2014 Prospect Edmond Sumner

Although Michigan's 2014 recruiting has not gone completely according to plan with Keita Bates-Diop and Jae'sean Tate committing to Ohio State, there are a multitude of tremendous prospects still on the board.  One of the best players in the state for 2014 is point guard Edmond Sumner out of Detroit Country Day.  Michigan has not offered him a scholarship at this point, but they have expressed genuine interest in his abilities and could end up offering him sometime soon.

Sumner has a multitude of skills that make him one of the top prospects in the state.  Of course, as a point guard, he has good vision of the floor and has the ability to pass at will.  His greatest skill, however, is probably his ability to attack the basket.  He's not the greatest driver to the basket out there, but when he does drive, he has a knack to find wide open teammates that can either knock down the shot or drive it effectively.  Add on the fact he's a tremendous shooter, has a lot of motor, and is an aggressive defender and you have the makings of a very good prospect.  He has the ability to play multiple positions on the floor and I really have a feeling that he will move to the 2 spot in the future.  One thing that is for certain, he has some room to grow.  He will definitely have to get bigger before college.  I would also like to see him become a little more consistent on defense and work on his handle, which can be a bit sloppy at times.



Here are the basic ratings on Sumner:

	ESPN	Rivals	Scout	247Sports
Height	5’10”	6’1”	6’2”	6’2”
Weight	165 lbs	155 lbs	130 lbs	150 lbs
Position	PG	PG	PG	PG
Rating	4*	4*	3*	3*
Position Rank	#16	NR	NR	NR
National Rank	NR	#91	NR	NR

The ratings on Sumner are pretty much all over the place at this point.  This isn't too surprising considering that the 2014 recruiting is just starting to heat up, but there are definitely some big variations.  For his size, Edmond spoke in a recent interview with Tremendous and listed his size at 6'3" and 145 lbs.  He's a bit taller than the listings, which is definitely a positive, but it's also obvious that he's going to need to grow into that size before college.  This is something that comes with time and I fully expect him to do this in the next few years, but this will be important for his ability to compete on the college level.

The ratings are also very consistent about his placement at the point.  I would not be surprised one bit to see him move to the 2 spot, especially if he ends up playing on a team with other very talented point guards.  He's definitely a "score first" point guard.  These guys can get a lot of playing time in college, but a lot of coaches would rather see the "pass first" point guards get the nod, which will obviously depend on his coaching staff.  In terms of ratings, I typically defer to ESPN, but I actually disagree in this case.  I think Sumner has boatloads of potential, but I think he's probably in the high 3* range for me right now.  I think he could develop into something special, but I would like to see just a bit more right now.

Michigan has not offered Sumner at this point, but he recently spoke to UMHoops and talked about the fact that Beilein and the staff had told him that he could earn one in the future if he showed a bit more improvement.  With 2013 PG Derrick Walton and some high profile point guards in 2015, I think Beilein will be hesitant to offer too many point guards early, so I think it will be awhile before we see Sumner get offered.  If offered, I think Michigan could easily become his leader.  He's an in-state kid, has visited campus already, and has talked very positively about Michigan and the coaching staff.  Don't expect an offer or a commitment anytime soon, but Sumner could be a player that surprises a lot of people in the future.

Here's his highlight video: