Sumner kicks off BU hoops rookie class

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/04/2025 (183 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s one recurring theme on Jessie Sumner’s mind when it comes to her basketball journey — being pushed “beyond my limits.”

It’s technically impossible, but it makes sense when you dig deeper. At one point, she didn’t know she could be more than a tall body under the hoop. More recently, she thought high school basketball was her limit.

But the Vincent Massey Viking has learned those “limits” are mere perceptions meant to be stretched through hard work. She now has a massive opportunity to continue growing as the first recruit in the Brandon University Bobcats rookie class for the 2025-26 Canada West season.

“I’m excited just to be able to work with the girls and really put in the effort because they push me beyond my limits,” Sumner said. “Obviously they’re all great players and I’m really excited for the opportunity to get to play at that level.”

It didn’t take long for BU coach Ilarion Bonhomme to find Sumner during his first season running the program. He could drive just a couple of minutes to a high school game in town and see a girl tall enough to play in the paint at six-foot, but quick enough to hold her own on the perimeter.

“To be six-foot, 6-1 and be able to move like she does, her movement patterns, and then just her work ethic and who she is and the family she comes from, it was a no-brainer,” Bonhomme said.

“Her being a local kid makes it the cherry on top. I’m not the recruit a kid just because they’re in your backyard (type). She’s a special talent and I’m lucky other coaches in Manitoba or even in Canada West didn’t get eyes on her.”

If you only watched the games, Sumner’s jump from Grade 11 to 12 might have seemed unfathomable.

But she stood out from the season opener because she didn’t simply sit around waiting for her senior year. She had a checklist for her Grade 11 summer and worked diligently.

Sumner was a forward from the start of her hoops career in Grade 9. Being one of the taller players in her class, it was a natural fit. But watching elite players in U Sports and on TV in March Madness opened her eyes as “forwards” handled the ball and made it a positionless game.

She focused hard on her ball-handling, especially her left hand to ensure she could play guard for a Massey team blessed with size across the board.

Sumner’s still working on her range but showed flashes from the three-point line during her senior year as she won her first city title with the Vikings.

“It was a great achievement as a team. I definitely was able to rely on my teammates on the court and I knew we could rely on each other,” Sumner said.

“Crocus (Plains) had a great season too, it was nice playing against those girls because we really struggled in the past few years but when we came to do it, it was really exciting.

“They definitely improved my skills and I saw them improve throughout the season as well.”

Sumner is back on the court, playing her first season with the Westman Youth Basketball Association under-18 team.

She’ll keep pushing herself when that wraps up to be in the best possible situation come training camp, which is just over four months away.

“The summer looks like hard work right now,” said Sumner, who’s taking a Bachelor of Arts with plans of becoming a teacher.

“I’ve got to put in a lot of hours. I know I want to adjust and be more consistent with my efforts and my shots.

“I know it’s not going to be easy but I’m willing to put in those hours and see where it takes me.”

She could see court time sooner rather than later, though the Bobcats have a solid guard trio of Abbey Shand, Taya Clark and Madison Schettler entering their second year along with veterans Piper Ingalls and Faith Clearsky playing big minutes.

Sumner’s size will certainly help if she adds the tools Bonhomme wants to see.

“Definitely the ball handling and becoming more consistent as a shooter from the outside, and understanding that she has special gifts she needs to use to her advantage, like her physicality and her strength,” Bonhomme said. “She’s such a nice kid that sometimes she’s so timid. So hopefully we can find a way to just make her dominate at all times.

“She lives in the gym so she’s going to make those strides.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5