Jeremy Vann Fears Jr. (born April 19, 2005) is an American college basketball player for the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference. He was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.
| No. 1 – Michigan State Spartans | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Big Ten Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | April 19, 2005 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Michigan State (2023–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Early life and high school career
editFears grew up in Joliet, Illinois and initially attended Joliet West High School. He transferred to the La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana after his freshman year.[1] Prior to the start of his senior year, Fears transferred back to Joliet West.[2] He averaged 18.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game and was named the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year.[3]
Recruiting
editFears was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services. On January 6, 2022, he committed to playing college basketball for Michigan State after also considering an offer from Illinois.[4]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Fears Jr. PG |
Joliet, IL | Joliet West (IL) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jan 6, 2022 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88
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| Recruit rankings: Rivals: 38 247Sports: 32 ESPN: 27 | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
editFears enrolled at Michigan State University in June 2023 in order to take part in summer practices.[5] He averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 assists per game as a freshman.[6]
National team career
editFears played for the United States national under-16 team at the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship.[7] The following summer, he played for the United States under-17 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup.[8]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Michigan State | 12 | 0 | 15.3 | .500 | .167 | .647 | 1.9 | 3.3 | .8 | .2 | 3.5 |
| 2024–25 | Michigan State | 36 | 36 | 23.7 | .397 | .342 | .730 | 2.1 | 5.4 | 1.1 | .2 | 7.2 |
| Career | 48 | 36 | 21.6 | .411 | .318 | .722 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 1.0 | .2 | 6.2 | |
Personal life
editFears' father, Jeremy Fears Sr., played college basketball at Ohio University and Bradley.[9]
On December 23, 2023, Fears was shot while on holiday break in his hometown and endured a three-hour surgery to remove the bullet from his left thigh. He would return for Michigan State’s 2024 season opener on November 4.[6]
Fears’ younger brother Jeremiah Fears is a guard for the Oklahoma Sooners.
References
edit- ^ "Nationally ranked sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. leaves Joliet West for La Lumiere". Chicago Sun-Times. October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "What the return of Jeremy Fears Jr. means for Joliet West and the area's basketball scene". Chicago Sun-Times. August 22, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Brooks, Stephen (March 15, 2023). "Incoming Michigan State PG Jeremy Fears Jr. named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year". 247Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Biancardi, Paul; Borzello, Jeff (January 6, 2022). "ESPN 60 junior recruit Jeremy Fears commits to Michigan State basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ Austin, Kyle (June 9, 2023). "Michigan State's highly rated 2023 class is enrolled and on campus". MLive.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears returns after being shot". ESPN. Associated Press. August 6, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ "Jeremy Fears commits to Michigan State Spartans basketball for 2023". The Detroit News. January 6, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Jeremy Fears, Michigan State basketball commit, leads USA to gold". Detroit Free Press. July 11, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "KU basketball offers Indiana HS point guard Jeremy Fears Jr". The Kansas City Star. August 18, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2023.