EAST LANSING – Jeremy Fears Jr. returned to the locker room at Little Caesars Arena at halftime and asked Tom Izzo for a challenge.
Michigan State BasketballThe young point guard wanted to defend Oakland guard DQ Cole, who had torched the Spartans in the first half of a closer-than-expected game Tuesday night in Detroit.
Cole launched quick shots from difficult angles in the first half for five 3-pointers en route to 15 points. That put No. 19 MSU in temporary jeopardy with a one-point lead at the break.
“We just needed to cut the head off the snake,” Fears recalled Thursday.
Fears delivered on his promise, limiting Cole to just two points in the second half on 1-of-7 shooting. He also missed all three of his shots from behind the arc. And the Spartans outscored the Grizzlies by 18 points for a 77-58 victory.
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It was an impressive defensive performance and show of leadership from MSU’s redshirt freshman, and one that immediately had Izzo glowing after the game about Fears’ contributions going well beyond- beyond his final line of four points, four assists and three rebounds.
“It was good, and it was him. ‘Give it to me. I want him, I want Cole. And you saw what he can do,” Izzo said after practice Thursday. “I always say Jeremy is still trying to find himself. I mean, you take this time off – eight, nine months – and he’s still trying to find himself. I understand that, and I agree with that, because I think he does enough good things.
That’s because a little over a year ago, Fears’ basketball future seemed in jeopardy.
The Spartans will host Florida Atlantic on Saturday (2 p.m., FS1) on the one-year anniversary of Fears’ final game in his first season at MSU. He appeared ready to take on greater responsibilities heading into the new year after posting a career-high 10 assists in a win over Stony Brook on December 21, 2023.
This never happened. Fears returned to his hometown of Joliet, Illinois for Christmas vacation the next day. His parents were then with his brother, JĂ©rĂ©mie, on an official visit to Providence. A little more than 24 hours after returning home, early on the morning of Dec. 23, Fears was cleaning up after a party at a former high school teammate’s house with seven others when he and a woman were shot and killed by a masked gunman who entered through the front door and began shooting before fleeing.
Fears was shot in the left thigh and underwent extensive three-hour surgery to remove the bullet that had lodged in the bone. He would miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season and receive a medical redshirt from the NCAA this summer. After an arduous rehabilitation, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder returned to the field this summer and participated in MSU’s three-game trip to Spain in August.
So far this season, Fears has started all 11 games for the Spartans, averaging 7.3 points and 5.7 assists (fourth in the Big Ten) for a total of 12 steals, tied with Tre Holloman for the head of the team.
More importantly, it gets MSU off to a 9-2 start and a climb in the national polls. The Spartans are starting to attack Fears’ tough-as-nails, whip-sharp identity, much like Izzo’s teams did early in his 30-year career with Mateen Cleaves at the helm.
“Jeremy has some toughness and some energy,” Izzo said. “I was with Mateen in the locker room. I’m waiting for (Fears) to take on Mateen’s identity for a bit, and then the team takes them both on.
Cleaves also pulled Fears aside after the Oakland game for a lengthy point guard chat, one of many discussions the two have had since Fears arrived a year and a half ago.
“We’re off to a good start right now. He told me to keep going,” Fears said. “And we just really talked about the team and being tough and just continuing to play, really.”
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As for Fears’ younger brother, Jeremiah rose to national fame after reclassifying and enrolling at Oklahoma. THE Freshman’s four-point play beat Michigan on Wednesday nightand his older brother watched with great intensity and admiration. For several reasons.
“Big players make big plays,” Jeremy said. “I told him that he especially needed to get this victory. Because we all know why. He did it.
The two hope to meet again on Sunday before the holidays. Fears said he plans to meet his parents after the Spartans’ game against the Owls and travel to Norman, Oklahoma, for the Sooners’ game Sunday against Central Arkansas. They all plan to return to Joliet together for Christmas, a year after spending it in the hospital early in Jeremy’s recovery from being shot. He will return to MSU shortly after to prepare for the Spartans’ final non-conference game, Dec. 30 against Western Michigan.
“I’m so happy and grateful,” Fears said. “A year ago I was in a different situation. (Now) I’m still able to do something I love, playing basketball. We’re 9-2 right now, I’m trying to finish the year strong, I’m 11-2 with my brothers. We win games, we have fun. And I’m just happy to be here.
Izzo said he wasn’t concerned about Fears returning to Joliet to celebrate the holidays with his family, even after what happened last year.
“I mean, it was a bad situation. It was a mistake, it wasn’t his fault,” he said. “But I worry about all these kids when they come home, and I worry about them when they’re here you watch the news and the world is fucked so I hope we all stay safe, enjoy Christmas and come back ready for a hell of a second half.
Next stop: owls
Match : No. 19 Michigan State (9-2) vs. FAU (7-5).
Trick : 2:00 p.m. Saturday; Breslin Center, East Lansing.
Television/radio: FS1; WJR-AM (760).
Chris Solari’s prediction: The Spartans will have a much bigger and deeper test against the Owls (7-5), who are on a three-game winning streak and have 10 new players and just three carryovers from a year ago. That includes Florida State 6-11 forward Baba Miller (10.9 points, 7.4 rebounds per game) and 7-foot freshman Matas Vokietaitis (10, 5.8) among five players scoring in double figures as FAU averages 86.1 points per game. But defense and rebounding, along with Fears pushing the pace in transition, prove key to extending MSU’s winning streak to five before Christmas. The choice: MSU 80, Florida Atlantic 69.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball: Jeremy Fears brings toughness and tenacity
