Edmond Sumner day-to-day as XU faces Butler
A day after point guard Edmond Sumner had a tough fall at Villanova and was taken off the court in a stretcher, Xavier coach Chris Mack described the freshman’s status as “day-to-day.”
Sumner collided with Villanova’s Kris Jenkins early in Thursday’s game at The Pavilion and lay motionless before showing he could move his extremities. The 6-foot-6 player was taken to the hospital and released in time to fly home with the team.
“He hasn’t been diagnosed with any concussion. I just think it hurts a lot,” Mack said Friday at Cintas Center. “As soon as he’s ready to play, he’s going to play.”
Mack said he was “really grateful” about Sumner’s progress and that it was “good to see him at practice with his mom (Friday) morning.” Sumner did not participate.
Xavier's Edmond Sumner removed by stretcher after fall
“When I saw him on the floor (at Villanova), the worst runs through your mind. He was unresponsive for a little bit of time and to see where he is in less than 24 hours, I just feel thankful,” Mack said.
Sumner took to Twitter Friday to share his own feelings of gratitude.
Sumner is not in concussion protocol and Mack did not rule him out for Saturday’s 1 p.m.against No. 9 Butler at sold-out Cintas Center. Should Sumner not play, his minutes will be divvied up throughout the lineup and point guard duties likely will be assumed by Myles Davis and Larry Austin Jr.
The No. 6 Musketeers (12-1, 0-1 Big East) and Bulldogs (11-2, 0-1) lost their conference openers and are bidding for a return to the win column. Theirs is the second outing in the Big East’s New Year’s Marathon, which features conference games from 11 a.m. to midnight.
Although Xavier coaches studied film of the Villanova game and diagnosed problems, there wasn’t much time to focus on the past as the team turned its attention to Butler. The Bulldogs, like Xavier, are very set-play oriented and have multiple defenses.
“We have a lot of familiarity with Butler, just like they do with us. We have to feed that information to our players as much as we can. There was some disappointment in the way that we performed (at Villanova) and we let our team know that, and then we move forward,” Mack said.
The Bulldogs lead the Big East in scoring (89.9 points per game), paced by Kellen Dunham (15 ppg), Kelan Martin (14.7), Roosevelt Jones (14.2) and Andrew Chrabascz (12.1). Asked in a Big East coaches’ conference call whether the team was genuinely strong offensively or just off to a really good start, coach Chris Holtmann said a lot of it was a byproduct of the Bulldogs’ schedule.
“We’ve played a difficult and challenging schedule but you have that 144-point game against The Citadel that kind of skews it in a lot of ways. We certainly have done some things offensively in terms of our efficiency this year that I feel really good about,” Holtmann said. “We’ve done a good job of handling the ball and our pace has been good for the most part. So I think we’ve made some improvements in that area.”
That said, scoring in the high 80s and low 90s in league play is “not really realistic,” Holtmann said. The team scored 73 in Thursday’s loss to No. 12 Providence.
Xavier's defensive challenges include monitoring Dunham along the perimeter and keeping Jones, a 225-pound senior, out of the lane.
“He plays like a downhill truck in transition. He’s generally the toughest player on the floor and knows it,” Mack said of Jones. “It seems like he’s been in about six or seven different leagues. I’ve got a lot of respect for that kid. He’s a warrior. He’s a winner. And I can’t wait to get him out of a Butler uniform.”
AILING: Mack said freshman Makinde London also is day-to-day after being “banged up here and there.” London dressed but did not play at Villanova.
No. 6 Xavier vs. No. 9 Butler
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Cintas Center (10,250)
TV/Radio: FOX Sports 1 / 55KRC-AM, Sirius (93) and XM (203) satellite radio
Records: XU 12-1 (0-1 Big East), BU 11-2 (0-1)