One of the more memorable interviews I’ve had covering basketball was not with Mike Gansey or Pat Beilein, not with Joe Mazzulla or Joe Alexander. Not even Jared Dudley or Emeka Okafor. It was with Rob Summers, of all people, because I was struck by his sincerity.

You’ll remember he sat out the 2004-05 Elite Eight season after transferring from Penn State and then barely played the following years while backing up Kevin Pittsnogle. He showed flashes and seemed like he offered something, but there really wasn’t a way to get him a lot of minutes. Anyhow, from that interview, I remember he was in complete agreement with his limited role, but that it ate at him because he just loved the game so much and wanted to be a greater part of something special.

Yes, everyone would feel the same, but there was just something to his words that begged for understanding. You couldn’t help but like the guy … and everyone liked Rob Summers. I thought he was an unsung savior for the NIT champion who played an unheralded role with great success. Why, I once devoted a column to the way he set screens during a game and how his teammates were tickled someone had finally decided to highlight that trait.

The thought all along that season was he was better than he was allowed to show in the role and the system, but that he proved capable when given the chance. His numbers — 4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 21.6 minutes per game and 63.3-percent shooting — backed that up, I thought, and he was always hopeful he’d have a shot to play somewhere for a living.

Well, Rob Summers is a big deal in Portugal who has found a way to cash in on his skills.

Outlook:

A a legitimate seven-footer, very athletic, who runs the floor extremely well and can step out and shoot threes, so he’s kind of like a European big man. But he also gets inside and bangs and is an extremely good passer in the interior.

Summers signed with CBA in the UZO Liga in January and averaged 12.3 points and 7.1 rebounds and — to justify the title here — has a highlight reel!