DiPrimio - Steeled by Adversity -- Jerome Hunter Back on Track

By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jerome Hunter has gone where he never wanted, faced adversity he never expected.

Has it made Indiana's redshirt basketball freshman better?

Could it do the same to the Hoosiers' postseason prospects?

We're about to find out.

"I have never had to sit out a year or basketball before, so last year really hurt me," Hunter says. "When that happens, you start thinking of ways to get better off the court. That's what I focused on. How next year I could be the best player I could be."

Hunter says this from a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall media room stage. Next year has become this year. He has overcome much, with more ahead.

But in so many ways, the biggest battle is already won.

"I think he's very grateful," coach Archie Miller says. "I know I am. The doctors and the training staff and just our administration in general how much work and information went into sharing and working toward getting him back on the floor.

"He did his part. He worked very hard. When you work that hard to get back, there is pride in yourself. He's anxious to get back."

A lower leg condition ended Hunter's season before it began in the fall of 2018, and threatened to end his career. He underwent surgery last November, with other medical procedures following. He couldn't play or practice or even work out.

There was no guarantee that he ever would.

But Hunter could watch, and learn. He could persevere when giving up was the easier option. From the sidelines he could analyze what he couldn't have on the court. From film sessions and televised games -- college and professional -- he could appreciate what passion and commitment could do.

"There are ways to get better without playing," he says. "That's what I focused on.

"I watched a lot of ball. I tried to be a student of the game. I tried to learn as much as I could.

"I was watching college games, trying to see how the game is played, what I'm missing out there. I watched the NBA. There are great players there. If you watch them, I feel you get better."

Hunter will get the chance to prove that, perhaps starting as soon as Saturday's Hoosier Hysteria presented by Smithville (4 p.m. tip-off at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall).

Now, that he's fully cleared for all basketball activities, it's a matter of regaining the fitness and sharpness needed for high-level basketball.

That, Miller says, will take time.

"Jerome went through a very tough freshman year. A lot of guys go through injuries. A lot guys have to sit, and that's hard for people. Jerome not only did that, but he also had a condition that's not just an ankle sprain or repair of the knee. It was a little different.

"So we've listened to doctors, trainers, and Jerome has done his part. He's worked very hard to get cleared, and then when he was cleared, he did a very good job fighting through the not playing, the rust, getting his legs back under him, his strength, his conditioning.

"We're proud of where he started at five weeks ago. He hasn't missed a workout."

Having already missed plenty, Hunter aims to maximize everything.

"I'm excited to be back with my teammates. Seeing them practice last year, seeing all the hard-fought games they went through last year, I was motivated to get back.

"Before I got hurt, I was doing really well. I thought I could really help the team. I was really fitting in.

"I feel I'm in better (condition). I know my role and what Coach expects from me. Last year I didn't know what to expect. Being here and being around everybody showed me a lot."

Teammate De'Ron Davis has seen in workouts the impact Hunter could have in games.

"He's a key guy for us," Davis says. "It's hard for someone to come to college and not be able to play that first year, especially with the things he dealt with. We were there for him. We're glad he's back. He helps us get better. We help him get better."

How much help can a healthy Hunter provide?

For one thing, he can shoot, crucial for a team eager to improve in that area. He scored 1,324 career points at Pickerington North High School in Ohio, averaging 20.2 points as a senior and 20.6 points as a junior.

At 6-7 and 220 pounds, he's big enough and athletic enough to get off good shots no matter the defense.

"Jerome's best gift as a young player will be his outside shooting," Miller says. "As he comes off a year where he hasn't played, the rust and all that other stuff you're going to go through trying to find it, hopefully he can find some rhythm.

"But he's another good player I think can shoot the ball a little bit."

For another thing, Hunter was a double-double threat in high school, averaging 10.2 rebounds as a senior. He can help on the boards, or on defense, or anywhere he's needed.

"They recruited me for my versatility," Hunter says. "I can be anywhere on the court where Coach wants me to be. I feel that can help the team a lot."

Help will come from patience. You don't miss as much time and endure as many physical challenges as Hunter did, and expect instant success.

"He (isn't) the full-strength Jerome we inherited as he came off his high school season," Miller says, "but that's natural with any guy that's taken six, seven months off. He's got to get his legs under him, get his basketball game back in terms of rhythm, catching, running, contact.

"He's bigger and stronger, yet he's not playing as strong as he once was. I think all that is going to come with repetition of being out there every day. It's one day at time. We work with him every day. Communication is always the most important thing.

"I suspect there will be some days he doesn't feel as good as the other guys, but we're all very hopeful."

Hope extends to all the Hoosiers as they aim for a March to remember. They have seven returning veterans highlighted by Davis, newly named co-captains Devonte Green and Al Durham, Justin Smith and Rob Phinisee, and five newcomers -- including Butler transfer forward Joey Brunk and last season's Indiana Mr. Basketball Trayce Jackson-Davis out of Center Grove High School.

And, at last, they have Hunter, considered IU's second-best recruit last season behind Romeo Langford, now with the NBA's Boston Celtics.

That could be a game changer, if not in November, then by February and March, when it really counts.

"I'm getting better each day," Hunter says. "I'm trying to work through things. It's a day by day thing."

DiPrimio - Steeled by Adversity -- Jerome Hunter Back on Track

Players Mentioned

Joey Brunk

De'Ron Davis

Aljami Durham

Devonte Green

Jerome Hunter

Trayce Jackson-Davis

Romeo Langford

Rob Phinisee

Justin Smith

Indiana University Athletics