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Indiana Basketball: Jerome Hunter coming into own following breakout game

By Alec Lasley

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 10: Jerome Hunter #21 of the Indiana Hoosiers slips on the court during the first half of their game against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden on December 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 10: Jerome Hunter #21 of the Indiana Hoosiers slips on the court during the first half of their game against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden on December 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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The Indiana basketball forward has had a long road to recovery and if Sunday was any indication, he is ready to take the next step.

It has been a long and slow process for Indiana basketball forward Jerome Hunter since suffering a leg condition early in his freshman season which caused him to miss the entire season, leaving his playing career even in doubt.

The former top-50 recruit was the second highest rated prospect in the 2018 recruiting class for Archie Miller and the Hoosiers, and his production and impact was supposed to happen immediately. Unfortunately, Hunter’s debut was delayed until 2019 and if Sunday was any indication, he has ‘arrived’ and the four-star recruit could end up being one of the building blocks for Indiana in the future.

Going into Sunday with just six made threes on the season, Hunter nailed three from all over the court and oozed confidence with each touch and each release. Though the shots hadn’t been falling before this weekend, that hadn’t deterred Hunter from having positive contributions while on the floor.

Whether it was his five points and aggressive style of play resulting in going to the free throw line six times against Ohio State, or his defensive toughness and length that helped cause fits for Nebraska and Michigan State, Hunter was slowly making winning plays without scoring the ball at a high level.

All of those positive contributions and confident plays resulted in Archie Miller playing Hunter for 27 minutes against Maryland. Not only was Hunter making shots, playing solid defense, and growing with his confidence, but he looked calm and at peace for the first time since returning to the floor this season, almost as if he knew he belonged out there.

Moving forward, Hunter remains a player of high importance for the Hoosiers. With his ability to stretch the floor but also add to the length and athleticism of the frontcourt, seeing minutes in the 20’s is probably going to be more of a norm than not.

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Despite scoring 1,314 career points in his high school career, the 12 points that Hunter scored on Sunday against Maryland may have been the most satisfying of his young basketball career. Not only did it tie a career-high, but the way he did it seemed to turn the page to the next chapter of his time in Bloomington.

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