Xavier forward Jerome Hunter suffered a torn Achilles in Monday's practice, head coach Sean Miller confirmed on Tuesday.

Hunter was expected to be one of the key returners for Xavier this season before he was announced out indefinitely this summer and needed heart surgery. After cardiac rehab, Hunter returned to practice in a limited capacity in December and worked his way into contact practice by January. Hunter was a usual participant on the scout team during Musketeers' practices.

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"When it happened, it's like the air went out of the building," Miller said. "I don't even have the words to describe how badly we felt when we saw him go down. You almost knew right away what it was."

Miller said Hunter plans to have surgery as soon as the end of this week and the prognosis is around six months of recovery.

Miller confirmed Hunter's plans to return to Xavier next season.

"All of us, including Jerome, we're steadfast in the belief that he'll return next season to play. This is another part of his path. He's certainly gone through a lot," Miller said. "He's graduated, but I know his intentions are to finish his final year of eligibility here and we're looking forward to helping make that happen."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier basketball forward Jerome Hunter suffers torn Achilles