WCU hits jackpot with invited walk-on Sumler

Guard brings no baggage, just plenty of skills

(Mark Haskett/Special to Citizen-Times)

The moment Larry Hunter first saw footage of Trey Sumler playing basketball, Western Carolina's coach had only one question: “What's the baggage?” 

It was the spring of Sumler's senior year at Nash Central High, where he scored 1,921 career points and averaged 23.6 points per game his final season. Even with those numbers and the fact his raw ability was obvious on video, Division I scholarship offers weren't exactly pouring in.

So, Hunter, who'd been burned by talented young players leaving WCU early in the past, wanted to know if any off-the-court factors were keeping other schools away from the gifted recruit that WCU assistant Andre Gray had just discovered.

“There really wasn't any (baggage),” Hunter said. “Now that we've been around him and his family, that's really the case. Very, very solid, and Trey's just a great kid, too.”

WCU hits jackpot with invited walk-on Sumler | citizen-times.com | Asheville Citizen-Times