A year after being shot, Jeremy Fears Jr. showing toughness for Michigan State basketball

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EAST LANSING — Jeremy Fears Jr. returned to the Little Caesars Arena locker room at halftime and demanded Tom Izzo give him a challenge.

Michigan State basketball’s young point guard wanted to defend hot-shooting Oakland guard DQ Cole, who had been torching the Spartans in the first half of a closer-than-expected game Tuesday night in Detroit.

Cole launched quick shots from tough angles in the first half for five 3-pointers en route to 15 points. It put No. 19 MSU in temporary peril with a one-point lead at the break.

“We just needed to cut off the head of the snake,” Fears recalled Thursday.

Fears delivered on his promise, holding Cole to just two second-half points on 1-for-7 shooting. He also missed all three of his shots behind the arc. And the Spartans outscored the Grizzlies by 18 from there to coast to a 77-58 victory.

Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) passes the ball behind the back of Oakland Golden Grizzlies forward Allen Mukeba (23) during the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.

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It was an impressive defensive performance and show of leadership from MSU’s redshirt freshman, and one that had Izzo immediately glowing after the game about Fears’ contributions that went far beyond his final stat sheet line of four points, four assists and three rebounds.

“That was good, and that was him. ‘Give me him. I want him, I want Cole.’ And you saw what he can do,” Izzo said after practice Thursday. “I still say that Jeremy is trying to find himself yet. I mean, you take that long off — eight, nine months — and he’s still trying to find himself. I understand that, and I’m cool with it, because I think he’s doing enough good things.”

That’s because a little more than a year ago, Fears’ basketball future appeared in jeopardy.

The Spartans will host Florida Atlantic on Saturday (2 p.m., FS1) on the one-year…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/being-shot-jeremy-fears-jr-135623945.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-21 13:56:00

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