The Xavier basketball program is amid a middling 2023-24 season. The Musketeers are 12-10 and sit sixth in the Big East conference standings, Moreover, the team received a crushing injury update on senior forward Jerome Hunter after an unfortunate practice incident.

The Xavier basketball team loses the services of a valuable frontcourt member

Jerome Hunter tore his Achilles during a Musketeers practice and will immediately undergo surgery, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reports. Hopefully, Hunter will have a safe and efficient recovery.

The senior forward redshirted the season due to ramping up his activity from heart surgery during the summer of 2023. Hunter worked hard and was able to practice and travel with the team during the latter half of the 2023-24 season.

This is not the senior's first time dealing with taxing injuries. He had surgery to fix a leg issue that plagued him during his early days with the Indiana basketball program. Head coach Sean Miller opened up to reporters about Hunter's freak Achilles injury and admired his character amid adversity.

“When it happened, it's like the air went out of the building because everybody knows what he's been through,” Miller said, per Big East Sportscaster Paul Fritschner. “I give Jerome a lot of credit. He has a lot in front of him. I think the prognosis is [he can be recovered] in six months.”

The head coach continued, “We're just steadfast in the belief that he'll return next season to play, and this is another part of his path.” Miller said that Hunter intends to finish his final year of eligibility with the Musketeers upon his recovery.

The six-foot-eight forward averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds during his last full season with Xavier in 2022. With the support of those around him and his unyielding determination, Jerome Hunter will make a healthy return from his injury.