When will Zach Freemantle, Kam Craft return for Xavier basketball?
One of the key questions surrounding the Xavier University men's basketball team is how a roster full of first-year Musketeers can build off of the success of last season's Sweet 16 run.
Xavier lost eight players from last season's trip to the NCAA Tournament's regional semifinals and replaced those pieces with four players through the transfer portal and a 2023 recruiting class that is ranked 25th in the nation, according to 247Sports, and second in the Big East behind only defending-national champion Connecticut, which ranks fifth.
More: 'There was incredible turnover.' How Sean Miller navigates Xavier's new-look roster
One obstacle for head coach Sean Miller was the returning production from last year's squad. Of the four key players back at Cintas Center for another season, three of them have missed the last eight weeks of summer practices while recovering from injuries. Here's where they stand.
Zach Freemantle
Freemantle, a grad student forward, was Xavier's leading rebounder (8.1) and second-leading scorer (15.2) last season but suffered a foot injury in a Jan. 28 loss to Creighton that required season-ending surgery in March. One month later, he announced he'd return to Xavier for a fifth season.
An initial report from CBSSports' Jon Rothstein claimed Freemantle would be cleared for basketball activities in July, but that timetable has been pushed back slightly with Freemantle gearing up to practice.
"Zach (Freemantle) is pretty much at the very end of his time, in a way, he’ll return to the program, I’m anticipating toward the end of August," Xavier head coach Sean Miller said.
Kam Craft
Craft, a sophomore guard from Chicago, came off the bench for 15 games before a knee injury in mid-February forced him to miss over a month before returning for the final minute of Xavier's Sweet 16 loss to Texas.
"You have Kam Craft, who is in a similar situation (as Freemantle)," Miller said. "He had successful knee surgery. He should be cleared toward the end of the summer."
Jerome Hunter
Hunter, a Columbus native, announced in April that he'd use his extra year of eligibility to return to Xavier for a third season. Hunter played a pivotal role for the Musketeers last season with Freemantle sidelined, averaging 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds over 15 games after entering the starting lineup. He was also Xavier's leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament.
On July 11, the school announced that Hunter would be out indefinitely with an undisclosed medical issue.
"We are fully committed to supporting Jerome (Hunter). Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our players," Miller said in a Tweet. "Our team and staff stand united in offering him the care and encouragement that he needs as he works his way back to playing the game that he loves."
There is still no timetable for his return.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sean Miller discusses injury timetables for Freemantle, Craft
