After a breakout season last year, there is no timetable for Hunter’s return.
Xavier announced from the official basketball account today that Hunter is currently shut down from basketball activities:
— Xavier Basketball (@XavierMBB) July 11, 2023
There is no way to spin this as anything other than bad news for a roster that already was losing a significant number of frontcourt minutes from last season with the departures of Jack Nunge and Cesare Edwards. Stepping back from a purely basketball perspective, one must also feel for Hunter on a personal level after his struggles with injuries during his time at Indiana. Last season, he entered the year without much fanfare but carved out a role for himself as a low post enforcer and was drafted in to the starting lineup for the final 15 games of the season following an injury to Zach Freemantle, Xavier’s lone other returning big. His averages of 7.8/4.4/1.3 fall some way short of encapsulating his importance to Xavier’s run to the Big East Tournament final and the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
The obvious thing to hope is that the medical team is able to help Jerome back to full health as soon as possible for his sake as well as that of the team. The return of Freemantle along with the arrivals of Abou Ousmane and Logan Duncomb leave a perfect slot for someone with Hunter’s skill set and Xavier supporters will hope to see the fan favorite be healthy and ready to impose himself in the paint come November.