Summers named assistant coach at Toccoa Falls College
By Tevin Stinson
The Chronicle
After a few years away from the court, Winston-Salem native Javon Summers is returning to the sideline as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Toccoa Falls College (TFC) in Georgia.
Summers, who is an alumni of Carver High School, had a successful playing career at Piedmont International University (now Carolina University) helping the Bruins capture its first conference championship in over 20 years. After a successful playing career, Summers returned as an assistant coach at his alma mater, under his former coach Clint Walker and former NBA All-Star Josh Howard, who was head coach from 2016 until 2019 when he took the head coaching job at the University of North Texas. Summers credited both Walker and Howard for helping mold his coaching style.
After a few years away from the sideline, Summers said he’s eager to get to Georgia and get to work. Summers said he had interviews at other schools but he had a relationship with TFC head coach Dwayne Felder and after the interview, he knew it was the right place for him. “He gave me a phone call and gave me an opportunity … I couldn’t just not take that chance, so I had to get out of my comfort zone and get out of North Carolina and it’s taking me to Georgia.”
Summers will officially make the move to Toccoa Falls, which is about an hour and a half drive from Atlanta, this Thursday, July 14. He said he looks at coaching as an opportunity to help talented student-athletes who have been overlooked get the opportunity to develop on and off the court at the collegiate level.
“I’m just trying to give that chance to young guys who may have been overlooked in high school, especially some of the guys from the city (Winston-Salem),” Summer said. “A lot of talent in the city gets overlooked and I’m going to always be the one to give that kid a shot because that was me. I went to Carver and we didn’t win and I didn’t get recruited like that … so I had to do a lot of the work myself and Piedmont gave me an opportunity and that’s what I’m doing.”
Staying true to his word to give athletes from his hometown a shot, one of Summers’ first recruits to Toccoa College was 6’3 combo guard Anthony Williams, who was a standout athlete at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy. In his only season at Clinton College during the 2019-2020 season, Williams averaged 13 points per game, shot nearly 60% from the field and 80% from the free throw line.
“That was my first signing,” said Summers when asked about Williams. “He sent us a film and I was on him from that moment on … I spent hours getting to know the kid because I’m the type of coach who likes to know who the kid is … I know how good he is on the court, but I care about what’s going on in their day-to-day life.”
The TFC Eagles are a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). When asked about the upcoming season, Summers said if the players come in and put in the work, fans can expect a lot of wins. “We recruited hard and heavy from Florida to Cali. We got a lot of talented guys who can do a lot of things,” Summers said.
“It’s every coach’s mindset that you’re going to go in and win a lot of games, but I got a group of guys who are gritty, skilled and good in the classroom. We’re going to have a team that’s going to be successful. I don’t know how far that success will lead, but I’ll always have a National Championship mindset and Coach Felder is already instilling that mindset in our guys.”
On Feb. 11, 2023, the Eagles are scheduled to face Carolina University here in Winston-Salem, and for the first time Summers will be a visitor in the gym that was home for years.
“I’m going to embrace the moment of stepping back in that gym and seeing our guys compete against the school I played for, the school I gave my heart and soul to … It’s going to be a moment,” Summers continued. “I don’t really know how to express it until it happens, but I know I’m excited that we get the opportunity to compete against them.”
