Indiana’s injury woes deepened this week.
Jerome Hunter underwent surgery Wednesday at the Cleveland Clinic “to treat a lower body condition that first developed early in the semester,” the school announced Thursday without elaborating on the nature of the situation, citing HIPAA concerns.
It’s unclear when the ailment is for Hunter, whom Indiana initially said had a foot injury before broadening the diagnosis publicly.
It’s sort of a leg injury, but it’s not a typical leg injury that is an injury caused by practicing or something,” Indiana coach Archie Miller said Nov. 9, according to the Indianapolis Star. “It’s more of an underlying effect that’s causing him some pain. When we get all the answers, he’ll be evaluated and decided on. As of right now, though, Jerome will be out for a to-be-determined amount of time.”
The 6-foot-7 Ohio native was a top-75 recruit in the 2018 class, a monster one for Miller and the Hoosiers that featured five-star prospect Romeo Langford and three four-star recruits. Hunter ranked only behind Langford, a top-10 player, in IU’s class.
He has yet to see the floor for the Hoosiers, though, and his future availability remains unclear. Indiana is also without Race Thompson (concussion), Zach McRoberts (back) and Devonte Green (thigh).
“I don’t see them playing here in the near future,” Miller said of that trio, per the Indy Star. “I see maybe the month of November being a very risky month for us just in general, but we have to do our part.
“We just have to be ready and we have to be as smart as we can with the guys that are available. But right now we’re planning on moving through the rest of November, practically, maybe without all four.”