When it was announced that Jerome Hunter would not be returning to play for Indiana, it invoked two of the saddest words in sports: unfulfilled potential. A glance at Hunter’s high school tapes will reveal a player with a great body, solid athleticism, and almost no weaknesses.
Hunter showed off his silky smooth jump shot as a Hoosier, but his game was much more vast in high school than simple spot-ups. He could get buckets from the low and high post, out of triple threat, isolations, at the rim, and from the three-point line. On defense, his 6-foot-7 frame and good lateral agility made him a high-upside defender.
Hunter was completely thrown off course by a leg injury that forced him to redshirt as a freshman. That injury likely hindered him in ways no one knows from a confidence and physical perspective.
Under Mike Woodson, I once again hoped Hunter could turn into a solid college player. He is, after all, the prototypical modern wing Woodson is looking for: a big, agile, shooter who can defend multiple positions.
Now that Hunter is gone, Woodson will have to fill that desired wing prototype with other players. Jordan Geronimo fits the bill perfectly. He is a blank canvas, but there aren’t many people on earth with as many athletic gifts as the rising sophomore.
Geronimo has already shown he has the potential to be an elite defender at the collegiate level. In Indiana’s first victory over Iowa last season, the freshman was thrown into the fire and matched up against Luka Garza. Despite being dramatically outmatched in the size category, Geronimo not only held his own but actually caused Garza to struggle.
A 7-foot-1 wingspan makes Geronimo seem much taller than he is and helps him defend larger defenders. He also moves well laterally and has good instincts on defense. You would not guess that he was a freshman with no real game experience from this clip:
Given Woodson’s development track record, it is worth betting Geronimo becomes a lockdown defender in a year or two. He is already well on his way given his physical tools and the flashes he showed last year. His offensive game is what will need to come along most, but there is encouragement on that side of the ball as well.
Geronimo only took 37 two-point shots but hit an encouraging 51.4 percent of those shots. Additionally, the freshman only took 10 three-pointers but knocked down four of them for an ideal 40 percent.
The key will be getting Geronimo to the point where he feels comfortable with a greater shooting volume. He does not have much of a handle either, but that is not to say that skill will not come along eventually.
With Hunter on the roster, Geronimo's on-court growth opportunities would have been very constricted. One major component Geronimo needs in his development is simply game experience.
Now that Hunter is gone, Woodson does not have to divide minutes among the wings. If he proves himself worthy in practice, Geronimo can lock up a spot as a rotation forward and make an impact this season.
To add to the good news, Woodson is the perfect coach for the young prospect. At his introductory press conference, Woodson talked about how he wanted athletic players who could defend multiple positions and shoot the three-ball. That description fits Geronimo seamlessly, and the coaching staff will want to extract every ounce of potential from him.
The loss of Jerome Hunter may pave the way for an even better option at wing. If the cards fall in the right way, Geronimo could be one of the highest upside players in the Big Ten moving forward.
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