Xavier Basketball: Musketeers depth takes a hit with Jerome Hunter absence

Xavier Basketball starting forward Jerome Hunter is reportedly out with a medical issue. How does this affect the overall roster for the Musketeers?

It was a great first year back at Xavier Basketball for head coach Sean Miller. He not only led the team back to the NCAA Tournament but they also made the Sweet 16. They did lose a ton of production but the big news was that starting forward Zach Freemantle was coming back for an extra year.

Another player that was set to return was Jerome Hunter, who spent the past two years with the Musketeers after two at Indiana. He’s largely been a role player throughout his career but Hunter’s value was shown when Freemantle went down with an injury, forcing the backup to start. It worked out great, as Hunter’s defensive versatility proved to be invaluable in the final weeks of the season.

Hunter has split his time both as a starter and a reserve at Xavier but he was projected to be a full-time starter and key piece for next season. Unfortunately, a reported medical issue has him out indefinitely. Without knowing what it is, there’s truly no timetable for his return.

In the worst-case scenario, this would be brutal for the Musketeers from a roster standpoint. This is late in the offseason, and there really aren’t any great alternatives in the transfer portal. So if Hunter is out for games starting in November, that means the team will have to play both Freemantle and North Texas transfer Abou Ousmane together in the frontcourt. There’s also going to be some pressure on the incoming freshmen wings, Reid Ducharme and Dailyn Swain.

Let’s hope that Jerome Hunter can get back on the court in time for the 2023-24 season because it’d be a shame to have things cut short in his college career after playing his best ball. And Xavier will need him in order to be a viable contender in the Big East next season.