Intro: Holton Summers (2018)
Morgantown, W.V. hasn’t been regarded as a traditional basketball breeding ground or a hotbed for prep talent.
Yet for Holton Summers, born and bred in Morgantown, always has been a livelihood and the community’s beloved pastime.
The area’s then-burgeoning basketball culture erupted during the wintertime, as Summers grew up watching the Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle-pioneered Mountaineers under John Beilein.
Gansey, a sneaky athletic and poised 6-foot-4 guard and Kevin Pittsnogle, a 3-point ace at 6-foot-11 were inspirational figures. Enamored with the WVU teams of that era, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Summers developed into a sharpshooter known for sustained relentlessness.
At University High School, the combination guard displayed a deft shooting touch from beyond the arc, a significant pull-up game, and the skill-set necessary to quarterback an offense.
During his post-graduate season at Believe Prep Academy (TN), Summers has developed into a reliable on-the-ball defender. Becoming more disruptive by pursuing active hands across all 94 feet, expanding his offensive arsenal, engineering the speedball attack and kicking in pocket passes has enabled Summers to polish his craft at both backcourt positions.
A key component in Summers’ ascension has been the increased level of competition. Beyond investing more into the unseen hours, Summers is gauging his grit against several other post-graduate teams, junior colleges, and nationally-ranked high school programs.
Spurring Summers’ progression has been the consistent impact of the company he keeps.
He’s developed a tight friendship and hyper-competitive in-house bond with Division-I prospect Jared Grubb, the first-ever 2,000+ point scorer at South Laurel (KY). In addition to piling up shots, ramping up with the unrequired work, and going full throttle while guarding each other, the two are constantly pushing each other’s evolution.
Another key source propelling Summers has been a name etched in West Virginia basketball lore: Holman Harley.
The former Mountaineer and Virgin Islands national team guard, Harley has trained Summers the past few years. He’s helped ingrain traditional point guard principles in Summers, simultaneously preparing him to effectively guard from the 1-3.
“(Harley) emphasizes that I attack and create for my teammates and score when I have to,” said Summers. “I’ve been working on becoming the leader of the team and really being able to run the team and orchestrate the attack. I envision myself playing that same role at the next level, running the team and situating everyone around me.”