By Greg Gielczyk
GRAYLING — “It felt like home,” Grayling senior boys basketball player Troy Summers said of his decision to sign a national letter of intent to attend Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Even the town itself, he added.
Academically it seemed a good fit as well. Summers is currently planning to major in business, although that could change once he gets on campus. The 6-foot-8 post player was named All-State last season after averaging 14.5 points and 13 rebounds per game.
He actually made up his mind long before making it official by putting his name on a piece of paper.
“I had an unofficial visit in August, and they invited back for an official (visit) in early September,” Summers said. “It just went from there. Northern was already set up a long time ago. I’m excited about the next step.”
The Wildcats are looking to improve on their 7-19 overall record of last year, and certainly want to finish better than the 5-17 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) they logged.
In fact, Northern hasn’t won more than nine games since they went 11-15 in 2009, but are an “up and coming program” says Summers, who added that he felt like he could be part of something “awesome” being part of a class of seven freshmen.
“All that I’ve been taught really is being a post player,” Summers said. “I’ve been developing more of an outside game, more of a mid-range jump shot to make (defenses) respect where I am on the floor. But my post moves really caught (Northern’s) eyes because I’m comfortable with my back to the basket and am successful doing that.”
Grayling head coach Rich Moffit said Summers has put in the work to get better and take his game to the next level.
‘Troy is a kid that has a tremendous work ethic, both in the classroom and on the court,’ Moffit said. ‘He’ worked hard and put on 50 pounds of muscle during the off-season, which was definitely an area that he had to improve. I’m really happy for him.
‘I think Bill (Sall, the Wildcats’ fourth-year head coach, does a really good. I think he’ going to get things going up at Northern. He’ a really good coach. I think good things are coming for Troy. I think it’ a really good fit.’
Sall was hired away from Ferris State to become the Wildcats’ men’s basketball program’s 14th head coach on May 11, 2013, and is in the midst of a rebuild, changing the culture of the program.
He’s confident landing Summers will give the Wildcats’ a key piece to the puzzle.
“First off watching Troy continue to develop over the course of the last year we really addressing a need for us as we continue to some size in the interior,” Sall said. “I think he really continues to improve.
“Overall I think what he has right now is a body that continues to develop and has a skill set that as he continues to mature (will) be ready for the college level. We’re extremely excited. There’s very few players nowadays that enjoy playing with their backs to the basket. I think Troy does a great job of that and I think that will continue to flourish.”
Summers now can focus on his senior year at Grayling and leading the Vikings in a hunt for a Lake Michigan Conference title and a deep run in the MHSAA tournament.
“I’m going to be the best leader I can be on the team,” Summers said. “Push the people in practice to never slack off, never take it easy (and) always go 100 percent. Because if we don’t go 100 percent we’re not going to get a championship.”
