Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO: No Limits – Jerome Hunter Aims for Big Hoosier Role
11/13/2020 12:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The real Jerome Hunter is about to make his Indiana University basketball debut.
Brace yourself.
Forget last year's test-the-waters run. This now fully healthy sophomore swingman, steeled by Big Ten battles and off-season development, offers intriguing upside to a team that, despite missing out on top-25 preseason ranking status, looms as a Big Ten title contender, and beyond.
Hunter is a 6-7, 215-pound multi-dimensional weapon -- once rated among America's top high school recruits -- who is recovered from a serious leg condition that cost him his first season (generating concern he might never return to elite status) and limited him to last year's auxiliary role.
Now, limits are off, all things are possible, and coach Archie Miller plans to take full advantage.
"He is back to being the old Jerome," Miller says. "He loves the game. He has a smile on his face. When he messes up, he looks at you and says, 'Yes, sir, Coach,' and moves on.
"He is the type of guy who, as a coach, you love being around in the heat of the moment because he gives great effort. He is heading in a good direction."
That direction could, as Miller puts it, lead to taking "a bigger bite of the apple" and "handling a bigger load."
"He is going to play a big role on this team," Miller says. "He has to play a big role."
What does that mean?
"He has to grow up as a second-year player and become much more of a consistent shooter and a more consistent defender," Miller says.
Last year, with Miller uncertain about how much he could physically handle, Hunter played in 30 games and averaged 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.4 minutes.
He found his shooting rhythm over the final 10 games, making 16 of his last 19 three-point attempts.
He also shot 75 percent from the free throw line.
Through it all, his coach tried to figure out how to best use him.
"It was trial and error of what he could and could not do," Miller says. "We had our fingers crossed. We were really hoping Jerome would get that opportunity on the floor.
"Once he established that he was going to be available every day, working hard at it every day, then it became a reality of this guy is a true freshman. Not only was he a true freshman on the floor in terms of experience, but he had been out a significant amount of time from the game. As an athlete, he was out from competing and doing things. He had a tough recovery."
Hunter was tough enough to make the most of it. A rigorous off-season combined with a strong preseason provides a clearer picture of his prospects as IU aims for its Nov. 25 season debut.
"He feels like a good basketball player again," Miller says, "and not a player learning to be a good basketball player again."
In other words, expect big things.
"(Miller) is trying to utilize me to the best of my potential," Hunter says. "He wants to see what he can get out of me. I just have to show what I can do."
Trust is huge in this. Coaches have to know what their players will give them every game, not just occasionally. The better the player, the more that is required.
"Last year, the coaches didn't trust me," Hunter says. "They will have to trust me now."
Trust is earned by work, dedication and consistency.
Hunter is poised to deliver.
"The way we are set up," he says, "we need players who will step up and make plays."
For Hunter, last season's inconsistencies can fuel this season's break-through. He needed to regain his confidence, his timing, his competitiveness. He had to understand what Miller wanted from him and the team.
It's basketball's version of learning to crawl before walking, something that is often overlooked in an era in which heralded freshmen play with veteran poise and production.
See IU's Romeo Langford and Trayce Jackson-Davis as the most recent Hoosier examples.
Langford played one all-Big Ten year for the Hoosiers and is now with the NBA's Boston Celtics.
Jackson-Davis is a preseason All-America as a sophomore after an All-Big Ten freshman season.
"Playing last year helped," Hunter says. "It gave me the experience I needed. This year I can really make an impact and make the team better."
That's what Miller wanted when he landed Hunter, who rated just behind Langford as the most heralded Hoosier freshman in the Class of 2018. He averaged double-doubles in his final two seasons at Pickerington North High School in Ohio, including 20.2 points and 10.2 rebounds as a senior.
Last year, as a redshirt freshman, Hunter scored as many as 12 points, grabbed as many as four rebounds.
"With the team that we had a year ago," Miller says, "you fended for yourself a little bit. You tried to work your way in there and tried to take advantage of your opportunities when you got the opportunity to get in. He did that."
A nine-point, four-rebound effort against Ohio State was a turning point.
"We were at a crossroads in trying to figure out what we could get out of Jerome," Miller says. "The Ohio State game was an opportunity for him to grab a hold of more minutes. Once he did that, he showed that he was not afraid, he was tough and that if he could stay with it, he could help our team. I think that is what you saw.
"You saw a young guy, in a very difficult league, grow up and try to get better. Toward the end of the year, he shot the ball much more consistently. Defensively, he was a work-in-progress all year, but his intentions and effort were always good. He made big plays for us at times when we needed them.
"From a confidence perspective, he finished the year on a high. It was almost a sense of relief, like 'Oh, wow, I did it. I got through it.'"
Because he did, Hunter seems primed to deliver on all his promise.
"Last year, I was trying to figure out how (Miller) wanted me to play and what he wanted me to do," Hunter says. "This year he's more confident in me and what I can do."
Hunter can do more this year because of off-season work, and if much of it came via pandemic isolation (players and coaches were separated from mid-March to late June), that doesn't mean it wasn't beneficial.
"We talked a lot about his ballhandling, his physical conditioning and his ability to rehabilitate his body," Miller says. "He had to be bigger and stronger."
Adds Hunter: "He wanted me to explore things I can do on the court, and not just shooting.
"The off-season was a blessing because it gave me time to figure out everything I needed to figure out, and work on the things Coach Miller told me to work on.
"I worked on everything and got better."
The best players understand the importance of preparing to win, which happens long before games are played.
"You have to be mentally tough," Hunter says. "The season is long. You have to be prepared for every game, make sure everybody is ready and on the same page."
IU is built to play big and powerful, or fast and small. Such versatility will enable the Hoosiers to handle whatever awaits in this most intriguing of seasons.
"Without question," Miller says, "(Hunter) will give us the versatility to play small or big."
Hunter is especially suited for small-ball ferocity.
"My whole life, that's how I've played. I was always the biggest person at my position. If there was a mismatch, it was always good for me."
IU is loaded with talent, from veterans Jackson-Davis, Joey Brunk and Race Thompson inside, to veterans Aljami Durham, Rob Phinisee and Armaan Franklin outside, to one of the nation's most heralded freshman classes with 5-star Khristian Langford, 2020 Indiana Mr. Basketball Anthony Leal, Jordan Geronimo and Trey Galloway.
It's an intriguing blend, Miller's most talented and experienced group, and Hunter figures to add a dynamic element that could elevate the Hoosiers to title-winning heights.
"I look at him as one of the guys I can trust," Miller says. "He can get out there and do it."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The real Jerome Hunter is about to make his Indiana University basketball debut.
Brace yourself.
Forget last year's test-the-waters run. This now fully healthy sophomore swingman, steeled by Big Ten battles and off-season development, offers intriguing upside to a team that, despite missing out on top-25 preseason ranking status, looms as a Big Ten title contender, and beyond.
Hunter is a 6-7, 215-pound multi-dimensional weapon -- once rated among America's top high school recruits -- who is recovered from a serious leg condition that cost him his first season (generating concern he might never return to elite status) and limited him to last year's auxiliary role.
Now, limits are off, all things are possible, and coach Archie Miller plans to take full advantage.
"He is back to being the old Jerome," Miller says. "He loves the game. He has a smile on his face. When he messes up, he looks at you and says, 'Yes, sir, Coach,' and moves on.
"He is the type of guy who, as a coach, you love being around in the heat of the moment because he gives great effort. He is heading in a good direction."
That direction could, as Miller puts it, lead to taking "a bigger bite of the apple" and "handling a bigger load."
"He is going to play a big role on this team," Miller says. "He has to play a big role."
What does that mean?
"He has to grow up as a second-year player and become much more of a consistent shooter and a more consistent defender," Miller says.
Last year, with Miller uncertain about how much he could physically handle, Hunter played in 30 games and averaged 3.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.4 minutes.
He found his shooting rhythm over the final 10 games, making 16 of his last 19 three-point attempts.
He also shot 75 percent from the free throw line.
Through it all, his coach tried to figure out how to best use him.
"It was trial and error of what he could and could not do," Miller says. "We had our fingers crossed. We were really hoping Jerome would get that opportunity on the floor.
"Once he established that he was going to be available every day, working hard at it every day, then it became a reality of this guy is a true freshman. Not only was he a true freshman on the floor in terms of experience, but he had been out a significant amount of time from the game. As an athlete, he was out from competing and doing things. He had a tough recovery."
Hunter was tough enough to make the most of it. A rigorous off-season combined with a strong preseason provides a clearer picture of his prospects as IU aims for its Nov. 25 season debut.
"He feels like a good basketball player again," Miller says, "and not a player learning to be a good basketball player again."
In other words, expect big things.
"(Miller) is trying to utilize me to the best of my potential," Hunter says. "He wants to see what he can get out of me. I just have to show what I can do."
Trust is huge in this. Coaches have to know what their players will give them every game, not just occasionally. The better the player, the more that is required.
"Last year, the coaches didn't trust me," Hunter says. "They will have to trust me now."
Trust is earned by work, dedication and consistency.
Hunter is poised to deliver.
"The way we are set up," he says, "we need players who will step up and make plays."
For Hunter, last season's inconsistencies can fuel this season's break-through. He needed to regain his confidence, his timing, his competitiveness. He had to understand what Miller wanted from him and the team.
It's basketball's version of learning to crawl before walking, something that is often overlooked in an era in which heralded freshmen play with veteran poise and production.
See IU's Romeo Langford and Trayce Jackson-Davis as the most recent Hoosier examples.
Langford played one all-Big Ten year for the Hoosiers and is now with the NBA's Boston Celtics.
Jackson-Davis is a preseason All-America as a sophomore after an All-Big Ten freshman season.
"Playing last year helped," Hunter says. "It gave me the experience I needed. This year I can really make an impact and make the team better."
That's what Miller wanted when he landed Hunter, who rated just behind Langford as the most heralded Hoosier freshman in the Class of 2018. He averaged double-doubles in his final two seasons at Pickerington North High School in Ohio, including 20.2 points and 10.2 rebounds as a senior.
Last year, as a redshirt freshman, Hunter scored as many as 12 points, grabbed as many as four rebounds.
"With the team that we had a year ago," Miller says, "you fended for yourself a little bit. You tried to work your way in there and tried to take advantage of your opportunities when you got the opportunity to get in. He did that."
A nine-point, four-rebound effort against Ohio State was a turning point.
"We were at a crossroads in trying to figure out what we could get out of Jerome," Miller says. "The Ohio State game was an opportunity for him to grab a hold of more minutes. Once he did that, he showed that he was not afraid, he was tough and that if he could stay with it, he could help our team. I think that is what you saw.
"You saw a young guy, in a very difficult league, grow up and try to get better. Toward the end of the year, he shot the ball much more consistently. Defensively, he was a work-in-progress all year, but his intentions and effort were always good. He made big plays for us at times when we needed them.
"From a confidence perspective, he finished the year on a high. It was almost a sense of relief, like 'Oh, wow, I did it. I got through it.'"
Because he did, Hunter seems primed to deliver on all his promise.
"Last year, I was trying to figure out how (Miller) wanted me to play and what he wanted me to do," Hunter says. "This year he's more confident in me and what I can do."
Hunter can do more this year because of off-season work, and if much of it came via pandemic isolation (players and coaches were separated from mid-March to late June), that doesn't mean it wasn't beneficial.
"We talked a lot about his ballhandling, his physical conditioning and his ability to rehabilitate his body," Miller says. "He had to be bigger and stronger."
Adds Hunter: "He wanted me to explore things I can do on the court, and not just shooting.
"The off-season was a blessing because it gave me time to figure out everything I needed to figure out, and work on the things Coach Miller told me to work on.
"I worked on everything and got better."
The best players understand the importance of preparing to win, which happens long before games are played.
"You have to be mentally tough," Hunter says. "The season is long. You have to be prepared for every game, make sure everybody is ready and on the same page."
IU is built to play big and powerful, or fast and small. Such versatility will enable the Hoosiers to handle whatever awaits in this most intriguing of seasons.
"Without question," Miller says, "(Hunter) will give us the versatility to play small or big."
Hunter is especially suited for small-ball ferocity.
"My whole life, that's how I've played. I was always the biggest person at my position. If there was a mismatch, it was always good for me."
IU is loaded with talent, from veterans Jackson-Davis, Joey Brunk and Race Thompson inside, to veterans Aljami Durham, Rob Phinisee and Armaan Franklin outside, to one of the nation's most heralded freshman classes with 5-star Khristian Langford, 2020 Indiana Mr. Basketball Anthony Leal, Jordan Geronimo and Trey Galloway.
It's an intriguing blend, Miller's most talented and experienced group, and Hunter figures to add a dynamic element that could elevate the Hoosiers to title-winning heights.
"I look at him as one of the guys I can trust," Miller says. "He can get out there and do it."
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