Indiana redshirt freshman forward Jerome Hunter has returned to basketball activities after multiple surgeries to his lower leg throughout his first year in Bloomington.
Now, he's eager to get back to regular participation with the Hoosiers.
Indiana forward Jerome Hunter’s first season on campus was met with a whirlwind of health issues that featured three surgeries between the months of November 2018 and April 2019. Some time closer toward his November procedure, he had another surgery. All of them were for an undisclosed lower leg injury.
Tuesday, five months following his last surgery, IU Athletics announced that he is participating in all basketball-related activities and he “continues to progress” as the fall continues.
Now he’s going into the 2019 season with the anticipation of being able to contribute.
“I’m excited to be back with my teammates,” Hunter said Tuesday. “Seeing them practice last year and seeing all the hard-fought games they went through last year, I was motivated to get back this year.”
Hunter came to Bloomington as part of the Class of 2018, rated as the No. 10 small forward and the No. 52 player nationally. He was known for his versatility – able to play inside and on the perimeter – as well as his scoring ability. At 6-foot-7, he was another long athlete recruited by Archie Miller but was the one with the most promise.
For a team that ranked 89th in field goal percentage, 317th in three-point percentage and often found it difficult to create its own shots, Indiana could have used a talented scorer like Hunter, and as the season wore on, his presence on the floor was evidently missed.
And as he sat on the bench and watched his teammates play those tough games – games like an overtime road win against No. 6 Michigan State in East Lansing, two close home losses to Iowa and Purdue, and the comeback against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament that came up short – his teammates sympathized with him.
“It’s always hard for someone to come into college and not be able to play there their first year, especially with the things that he dealt with,” IU forward De’Ron Davis said Tuesday. “We were all there for him, and we’re glad that he’s back.”
Hunter said he turned to watching basketball to feed the drive to continue getting better, even when he was rehabbing and unable to practice. He felt like he was continuing to grow, mature and get better within the philosophy of the program in the time that he was able to work with the team.
That was promising for a member of the team that Davis described as “key” to the success of the team, especially when considering his 1,314 points and 729 rebounds at Pickerington High School North in Ohio.
“I’ve never had to sit out a year before, of basketball, so last year really hurt,” Hunter said.
Assessing his skillset makes it fairly easy to understand the role he could play for Indiana in 2019-20, but factoring in his health and where it might be when the season arrives at the end of October makes those waters a bit murkier, as there isn’t much indication whether he is close to 100 percent or not.
But if he can get healthy, Hunter will surely be a significant addition to both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball – particularly offense. And the time away from basketball, taking mental reps hasn’t taken away from the improvements he’s hoped to make while sidelined.
“Now, I feel like I’m better. I feel like I know my role and what coach is going to expect from me this year,” Hunter said. “Last year, being a freshman, I didn’t really know what I was going to expect. This year, just having experience and being around everybody just showed me a lot.”
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