The Nike EYBL finals finished up with Each One Teach One winning the 2013 Peach Jam in South Carolina, but that doesn’t mean that Nike is done putting together quality high school hoops action. The Nike Global Challenge, held at Trinity Washington University July 18-20, will feature some of the top talent not only in the country, but also the world. Four Regional USA teams, East, West, Midwest, and South, will challenge each other and four international teams from Africa, France, Brazil, and Canada. All of the players competing for the Americans, compete in the EYBL, a Nike sponsored grassroots basketball league. The EYBL has only one team from the State of Michigan, The Family, and one player from the team was selected to attend this event, Detroit Country Day 2014 point guard and Xavier commit Edmond Sumner.
Edmond, by whom many agree is the number one point guard prospect in the state, has had a very successful past year of basketball. Edmond and his fellow Country Day Yellowjackets captured the 2012-2013 Class B title in the State of Michigan, and the ninth for former head coach Kurt Keener. Sumner averaged 16 points per game, six assists, and three rebounds for the entire season. But life only got better for Sumner from there on, because on the twelfth of May, Edmond decided to commit to Xavier, a decision that had been between either the Musketeers or the Minutemen of UMass.
But don’t think with all of the success that Sumner was going to lay down during the AAU Circuit with The Family this Spring. The 6’3″ 160 pound point guard in 18 games with The Family, led the team in scoring with 14 points per game, tied for first in steals with 15, and was the leader in assists dishing out a total of 69. Edmond is known for his quick bursts of energy, allowing him to get past defenders and to the basket with ease. But the EYBL for AAU tends to help athletes in all levels of their respective game. And Sumner agrees, stating, “I matured as a point guard, trying to perfect the pick-and-roll, improving consistency from three-point line, and mid-range and strength.”
Many know the prestigious annual high school all-star games that are televised on national television, such as the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonalds All-American Game. Although it might not attract as much attention as those mentioned above, these very games serve as a prequel to those respective events. Top ranked players such as Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, and Cliff Alexander, who are almost locks to participate in the aforementioned, will of be on the same midwest team as Sumner. Notable players that will be competing against Sumner will be D’Angelo Russell, Devin Booker, and Isaiah Briscoe, who are all coveted by high major programs in college. But don’t think Sumner is a throw in to play in this type of game. Sumner competed against all of them in the Nike EYBL regular season, four long sessions of probably the most intense high school basketball that can be found in the country. Players respect Edmond’s game, he states that he deserves to be regarded as one of the top prospects in the country, saying that “I already did [prove I am] in the EYBL, that’s how I earned the respect from the players.”
Not too many athletes can say that they have the chance to represent their country, and still be in high school. Nike is no doubt an iconic world brand. From all around the world, you will see their famous logo on clothing. But there is something more too Nike than just apparel, it is the committment they have made to amateur athletes, not only in the United States, but also the world, to compete against fellow elite prospects ultimately making them better on the court, but also in life. For Edmond, “Getting a chance to play against the best players in the world” is a once in a lifetime experience. And is thankful for the EYBL because “It [has] helped a lot, because playing in the EYBL for two years, playing the best competitions in the country showed me what I have to improve on before college so I can be successful.”
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Follow Edmond on Twitter: @TF_32
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