Prospect Watch: A.J. Sommer (2018)
Class of 2018 forward A.J. Sommer of Parkway South brings great value to any team he plays on because of his ability to play different position and do anything to help a team win games.
The 6’5″ Sommer displayed his all-purpose skills last season in helping the Patriots to the Suburban West Conference championship. He can handle the ball to initiate the offense, he can play the high post, he will score in the low post and he can guard multiple positions on the floor.
“What makes me versatile is that I am able to guard four positions on the floor,” he said. “And on offense, I can play depending on my the defense is giving me. I can post up a smaller guard or pull out a bigger defender. The strengths to my game so far are my defense, my finishing, my basketball IQ and my ability to help my team win. I will always compete on the defensive end and I feel like I do a great job of attacking and finishing through contact. I also believe I am a smart player that makes good decisions and will hustle to do the little things to win.”
As a junior, Sommer averaged 10 points a game on a balanced Parkway South team that finished with a 17-10 record. He also averaged four rebounds and three assists a game for the conference champions.
“Winning a conference championship was a huge accomplishment for our team,” Sommer said. “We wanted to be remembered forever with our names up on the banner in the gym. We finally got respect this year and people saw us as an actual contender.”
Entering his senior year, Sommer has received recruiting interest from a number of schools at different level. Schools such as Bradley, Illinois State, Belmont, Maryville, Queens and Sioux Falls have been tracking his progress. With four key seniors graduating, Sommer will step into an even bigger leadership role.
“My goals for my senior year is to be a captain and leader for the team,” he said. “I also want to win conference again, but my main goal is to win districts and see if we can make a run in the state tourney.”