2018 Tindley (Ind.) School shooting guard Eric Hunter had already known all about Nebraska assistant coach Michael Lewis well before the four-star Rivals150 prospect made his way to Lincoln for an unofficial visit this weekend.
According to Hunter, every basketball fan in the state knows about Lewis, a former Indiana All-Star at Jasper High School who went on to become the all-time assists leader at Indiana under Bob Knight.
“He’s basically a legend in Indiana,” Hunter told HuskerOnline.com.
That familiarity helped make it an easy decision for Hunter and his parents to make their way to Nebraska on Saturday, but the No. 86 player in the 2018 class quickly learned there was a lot more to like about the Huskers.
Before his visit wrapped up on Saturday night, NU head coach Tim Miles extended an official scholarship offer.
“I was really excited, and he was really excited when he did it,” Hunter said. “It was just the cherry on top for that day… It definitely let me know that I can play in a league like the Big Ten, which is really competitive. It meant a lot, definitely.”
Along with the standard campus and basketball facilities tour, Hunter spent quite a bit of time with Miles and Lewis during his visit. He also took in Nebraska’s football game against Illinois on Saturday, and it didn’t take long for him to see what the NU fan base was all about.
“I really enjoyed it,” Hunter said. “I spent a lot of time with Coach Miles and Coach Lewis, and I saw everything that there was to see. Definitely the fans stood out the most. They’re very loyal.”
Nebraska joined Hunter’s quickly growing offer list, which already featured schools like Purdue, Xavier, Butler, and others. The 6-foot-3, 170-pounder is also getting heavy interest from the likes of Indiana, Michigan, and Creighton, where he visited on Friday before coming to Lincoln.
After the football game, Hunter and his parents met with Miles in his office for about an hour. Along with extending an offer during the meeting, Miles made it clear what Hunter’s role would be if he were to join the Huskers.
“He told me that I’d basically be getting the keys to the car,” Hunter said. “He said with what they’re building for our (2018) class, I’d be a big piece in what they want to do.”
Hunter averaged roughly 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game last season as a sophomore at Tindley. He described himself as “an unselfish scorer” on the court who likes to get his teammates involved just as much as he does creating his own shots.
Based on the two top priorities he’s looking for in his future college, Nebraska seems to check all of the boxes for Hunter.
“I definitely want a good situation where I’m able to play right away,” Hunter said. “I also want to have a good relationship with all of the coaches, not just the assistant coach that’s recruiting me and the head coach. I want to have a good relationship with everybody.”
