How Joliet native Jeremy Fears Jr. earned the keys to Tom Izzo's Michigan State team that eyes a title
A complementary Tom Izzo gives his thoughts on Northwestern basketball
The Spartans beat Northwestern 78-68, but Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo was highly complimentary of the 'Cats.
At the 2:25 mark in the second half of a top-15 Big Ten game with potential conference championship implications and NCAA Tournament implications, Jeremy Fears Jr. stood by himself at the top of the key.
Not that there needed to be any more pressure, but No. 14 Michigan State was on the road at the Crisler Center against bitter rival No. 12 Michigan who had just cut MSU’s lead down to six.
Fears, with his Spartans nursing a 68-62 lead, rose up and shot a wide-open 3-pointer with eight seconds left on the shot clock.
His cold-blooded three fell through. It was a hard brick of reality for the Wolverines and their fans, which was the start of UM fans heading to the exits. Michigan State upset Michigan 75-62.
"We got some great looks, got some great shots," Fears told reporters after Friday’s win. "Everyone here has been putting in time and putting in their work in the gym so just trust your work, trust yourself and trust your confidence."
Fears isn’t the biggest star for this Spartans team. That would be the talented Jase Richardson.
But, Fears, a Joliet native, has become the floor general on Tom Izzo’s Michigan State team that’s gearing up for a lengthy March Madness run.
Fears has become a leader for his MSU team as a redshirt freshman, after missing most of his true freshman year after he was shot in the leg Dec. 23 2023 while on holiday break. ESPN reported Fears had to endure a three-hour surgery which removed the bullet from his left thigh.
The recovery time spanned from December 2023 to August 2024, when he rejoined MSU on a trip overseas.
In his first full season, Fears became a key leader for the Spartans. The former No. 1 overall player in the state of Illinois is averaging 7.1 points per game but paces the team with 5.8 assists per game and leadership skills that were evident years ago to coaches who he had already caught the eyes of.
"I've seen him play since he's 15," Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said on Jan. 12. "He's always had a leading personality. He has a confidence to him. He's got a bravado that his team's feed off and I love that."
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 18: Jeremy Fears Jr. #1 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates during the second half Purdue Boilermakers at Breslin Center on February 18, 2025 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
What’s become more impressive is how unflappable he’s become. Fears seized control of Izzo’s team as its point guard and is lifting his teammates in key situations. Look no further than four Spartans finishing in double figures in points against Michigan, with Fears being the fourth.
Part of that is how Fears responds when Izzo challenges him, Fears responds no matter the task is. In Friday’s case, Izzo challenged Fears to go right at the Wolverines.
"I thought Jeremy was standing around a lot the first half," Izzo said Friday. "We really jumped on that at halftime and told him, we started going north and south."
On the basketball court, the only reason the word "fear" exists in Jeremy’s dictionary is because of his surname.
After being told to attack Michigan, Fears did it for the first of his two key moments in the second half. With under eight minutes to play, Fears went through contact to finish a layup to put the Spartans up by 11.
It’s an impressive moment, because it encapsulates how far he’s come. Izzo recalled in January how there were times that Fears would fall midgame. It’s not a moment of clumsiness. It was a result of his body resuming its potential as a top basketball player.
It’s all part of the ways Fears impresses his head coach.
"That’s not his fault, that's just part of learning how to walk again," Izzo said on Jan. 12. "I've been thoroughly impressed with how he's guarded, how he's ran my team, how he is on the bench."
That’s what led Fears to earn the keys to Izzo’s team. That’s impressive for a 19-year-old playing in a program that has championship aspirations and for a coach that demands so much from his players.
"He's running coach Izzo’s team the way coach wants it to be run," Collins said on Jan. 12. "He's pushing that ball he's making sound decisions. He's taking open shots when they come he's playing in the pick and roll game he's very patient."