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We got the good news of Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman officially signing today, but now some bad news. Eric Hunter Jr., Purdue’s second leading scorer last season, will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a broken tibia:
Matt Painter says guard Eric Hunter will be out 6-8 weeks with a tibia fracture.
— Sam King (@samueltking) November 11, 2020
Hunter averaged 10.6 points and 2.6 assist per game last year as he made a big leap in his second season last year. He also led Purdue in minutes played at 31.5 minutes per night. He was poised to move into a strong leadership role this year one a team with no seniors and I kind of views him as this team’s Raphael Davis in terms of leadership.
The injury means Purdue will have to rely more on newcomers Jaden Ivey, Ethan Morton, and Brandon Newman. It is a crowded backcourt and Purdue has so many guards it could easily go with a three guard lineup, but the new guys now have 30 more minutes to spread around them along with Sasha Stefanovic and Isaiah Thompson.
If there was a spot where Purdue could afford an injury it was at guard, but this is Purdue’s most experienced guard.
Welcome to the game, Ivey and Newman.