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Xavier Basketball hopes for big things from Indiana transfer Jerome Hunter

By Tristan Freeman

Mar 2, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Jerome Hunter (21) during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Jerome Hunter (21) during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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Xavier Basketball is not far away from being a top-25 team for next season. They actually were in that range to start out the 2020-21 campaign, winning their first eight games and being 11-1 overall at one point. But a 2-6 finish down the stretch, combined with multiple covid-related pauses and canceled games, along with a brutal overtime loss to Butler in the Big East Conference Tournament, took them out of postseason contention.

The great news for the Musketeers is that they return their top seven scorers from last season, led by star forward and All-Big East big man Zach Freemantle (16.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg). Senior guards Paul Scruggs and Nate Johnson elected to use their extra year of eligibility given by the NCAA after each averaging in double figures. Several other role players are returning, including Benjamin Stanley, a former 20 ppg transfer from Hampton that was limited to just four games this past season.

The team also landed a couple of transfers to add to the depth, including former Iowa forward Jack Nunge and now Jerome Hunter from the Indiana Hoosiers. Hunter is a 6’7 combo forward that was a former top-100 prospect in the 2019 recruiting class. He didn’t play much as a freshman, just 14 mpg off the bench, producing 3.8 ppg and 2.1 rpg.

Hunter did see both his minutes and production increase this past season, averaging 6.3 ppg on 43% shooting from the field, including improving his three-point shot to 34%. He had four double-digit scoring games this past season, including a career-high 16 points against Minnesota.

When Indiana head coach Archie Miller was fired at the end of the season, several players entered the transfer portal, while the Pickerington, Ohio native waiting until a couple of weeks ago to move out. But once he became a free agent, it always felt as if the local Musketeers were going to be a top option.

With Hunter now in the fold, Xavier has real depth at the forward spot. Johnson likely will start at the small forward position, with Stanley playing behind him. But Hunter can start at the power forward spot and create needed spacing on the court while allowing Freemantle to have the paint all to himself. It also allows Nunge to come off the bench and be a backup at either power forward or center.

dark. Next. Updated WTE top-25 rankings for 2021-22

This kind of move won’t create waves in college basketball but if Hunter can look like the top-100 talent he did coming out of high school, Xavier Basketball has added a key piece to contend in the Big East and get back to the NCAA Tournament. There will be a ton of pressure to do so but now there’s a ton of depth to work with. Now, the pieces will just have to come together.