University of Memphis junior Jeremy Hunt underwent surgery to repair an ACL tear and meniscus tear in his left knee Tuesday. Hunt suffered the injury in the Tigers' Mar. 23 NIT game against Vanderbilt. It is the same knee that was injured in February of the 2003-04 season.
Hunt will begin rehabilitation of the knee as soon as possible. The rehab process will take approximately six months, and Hunt is expected to return in time for the start of the 2005-06 campaign.
The 6-foot-4 guard suffered the injury at the 8:01 mark of the first half when he drove to the basket and was fouled. Hunt left the game at that point, and Darius Washington Jr. shot the two free throws. The Memphis, Tenn., native returned a couple of minutes later, but had to leave the game again.
Hunt played in 26 games, starting the last seven prior to the injury. In the postseason (Tigers were 6-2), Hunt averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds. He shot 45.5 percent from the field and had 18 assists and 18 steals in those seven starts. Hunt scored a career-high 24 points versus Northeastern in the NIT first round and had a career-best seven steals against USF in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals.
For the season, Hunt averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He had 70 assists and 39 steals.
Earlier this year, he missed eight games from Dec. 7 through Jan. 9 with a broken bone in his left wrist. He missed the Nov. 26 game against Maryland with a chest bruise.
In the 2003-04 season, Hunt suffered his first ACL injury in a Feb. 20 practice. He underwent surgery Mar. 3, and traveled with the team to the Conference USA and NCAA Tournaments.
