Xavier Basketball: Edmond Sumner becomes second Big East point guard to tear ACL

Xavier basketball will have to rely on Quentin Goodin the rest of the way with Edmond Sumner done for the year.

Two weeks after Creighton’s Maurice Watson Jr. tore his ACL in a game against the Xavier Musketeers, another Big East star point guard is done for the season with the same injury.

Xavier redshirt sophomore Edmond Sumner landed awkwardly after an And-1 layup versus the St. John’s Red Storm on Sunday evening. He was helped off the floor by his teammates and was later escorted to the locker room.

The injury looked brutal on the replay, but the program did not announce that Sumner tore his ACL until the youngster underwent multiple tests on Monday.

.@XavierMBB PG Edmond Sumner goes down w/ left knee injury, landed awkwardly after a tough finish in the 2nd half & heads to locker room: pic.twitter.com/0YlJvQbEW2
— DraftExpressContent (@DXContent) January 30, 2017

Xavier head coach Chris Mack released a statement on Monday wishing Sumner a speedy, positive recovery process.

"“I am devastated for Edmond,” said Xavier head coach Chris Mack. “Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen to great people. Through diligent rehab, hard work and prayer I know Ed will return to the court better than ever. He’s an awesome kid, a fearless competitor and a terrific teammate. I’m going to miss coaching him the rest of the year. As far as our current team is concerned, our goals have not changed. Next man up.”"

This is unfortunate not only for Xavier’s chances of making a run in the NCAA Tournament, but for Sumner himself. Remember, this is a sophomore that lost his entire true freshman season due to knee tendinitis. This is a sophomore that has dealt with shoulder and hand issues all season long.

And it looked like he was just getting back into form. The shoulder injury has been a significant burden for weeks, but he finally broke through against St. John’s, scoring 17 points, dished out seven assists and making a crazy transition block.

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Sumner, like Watson in Omaha, is the heart and soul of this Musketeer team. Trevon Bluiett is their best player and top scorer, but Sumner was the team’s floor general and best perimeter defender.

He averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free throw line. Sumner impacts the game with his length, athleticism and long strides in transition. He makes deflections on defense and bothers opposing point guards, but he also puts pressure on defenses with his ability to get into the lane at will and make back-breaking explosive plays at the rim.

He is still developing as a shooter (27 percent from three this year), but he’s improved as a passer and game manager.

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The Musketeers don’t have a massive quality win. However, with the bubble looking brutal this season, Xavier is still going to make the Big Dance without Sumner. The problem is when they reach the Big Dance.