The pain will always exist for Jeremy Hunt.When he drives to the basket, when he pulls up for a jumper, when he takes off on a dunk.
It might not be as intense every time, but it will never be gone completely either.
The first sting starts in his foot. The next in his ankle. The third in his knee.
They are all reminders of the setbacks his promising career has suffered since bursting onto the scene as a freshman with the speed to beat any defender to the rack and a shot as sharp as a Ginsu knife.
These days he's not into setbacks. He doesn't like thinking about the injuries he's suffered and likes even less to talk about them.He's focused on forgetting.
"The pain is mental -- If I don't think about it then I'll be all right," Hunt said. "If I don't think about it too much I think I can be the same player I was."
Being the player he was will be a tall order to fill, especially since his most memorable performance as a Tiger came in his first collegiate game.
The spry 19-year-old covered Syracuse like Saran Wrap that night in Madison Square Garden, dropping 19 points, seven assists and seven rebounds to go along with his Coaches vs. Cancer Player of the Game award.
He fractured a bone in his foot in the week following that breakout performance and missed 10 games.
One trip to the Finch Center might win over his doubters. The 6-5 slasher is playing, well, like himself.
He's grabbing rebounds, directing traffic, cutting to the basket and he's hustling.
He's flashing the skills that made him a point guard, two-guard and occasional small forward early in his career.
The only role he's not comfortable with was as spectator.
"It's really frustrating to watch our team go out there and play hard without you," Hunt said. "I want to be a part of that too."
When Hunt went down on Feb. 20 with a torn ACL in his left knee, his presence was missed in more than just the box score.
"I don't think there is any doubt that when he went down it took away something from the team last year," said Lamar Chance, the assistant athletic director of media relations for the Tigers.
After losing the combo guard Memphis dropped close decisions to Louisville and Cincinnati, where the team seemed a couple of tough rebounds or clutch jumpers away from a win.
A healthy Hunt factors greatly into coach John Calipari's plans. His versatility could be the greatest benefit to the young team.
"Jeremy could be starting at the one, at the two or at the three," Calipari said. "He could play a backup role as a sixth man, but he will probably be in the top three in minutes."
The fifth-year coach insists the Craigmont product, who was often called Skinny Penny for his likeness in style to former Tiger Penny Hardaway, should play for himself and no one else.
"I don't think he has anything to prove. He's a terrific player who works hard, but he's been injured," Calipari said. "What he'll have to do now is go out on the court and perform and not do it to prove anything. Just go be who you are and play."
As far as personal goals, Hunt isn't concerned about scoring averages or assists. His hope is a little more rudimentary.
"I want to go through this season injury-free," Hunt said. "I'm just praying that I don't even get hurt again."
