Xavier loses stud guard Edmond Sumner to season-ending injury

Xavier will be without one of its best players for the rest of the season.

The program announced Monday that sophomore point guard Edmond Sumner will be sidelined after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Sunday’s game against St. John’s. The ACL tear was confirmed after an MRI on Monday, the program said. Sumner will undergo surgery “in the near future on a date to be determined.”

“I am devastated for Edmond,” Musketeers head coach Chris Mack said in a statement. “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.”

Sumner was injured on a scoring drive late in Sunday’s 82-77 win over the Red Storm. Sumner landed awkwardly and had to be helped off the court and into the locker room.

Sumner had 17 points, seven assists and four rebounds in Sunday’s win and is averaging 15.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game on the year. He is the team’s leader in assists per game and is second in scoring behind Trevon Bluiett, who is averaging 18.5 points per game — second-best in the Big East.

With Sumner out, Xavier, which is 15-6 overall and 5-3 in conference play, will likely turn to freshman Quenton Goodin at point guard. Goodin had 16 points in 25 minutes off the bench Sunday, both career highs. For the season, the 6-foot-4 Goodin is averaging 3.5 points and 2.0 assists in 14.9 minutes per game.

Xavier’s first game without Sumner will be Wednesday at home against Seton Hall.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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