One year after gunshot wound, Jeremy Fears Jr. leading resurgent No. 12 Michigan State

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It has been a long road to recovery for Jeremy Fears Jr. After arriving at Michigan State as one of the most sought after recruits in the nation, the point guard missed the majority of his first college season after being shot in the thigh on Dec. 20, 2023. Fears underwent surgery, followed by countless hours of rehab and practice, and worked his way into head coach Tom Izzo’s starting lineup in his comeback. The redshirt freshman has led his team to a hot start in 2025, as the 12th-ranked Spartans have relied heavily on their floor general in their 15 wins this season.

Fears followed up his first career double-double against Washington on Jan. 9 with another strong outing at Northwestern three days later with family in attendance from Fears’ hometown of Joliet, Ill. MSU’s catalyst recorded 12 points to go with eight assists against the Wildcats, helping boost his assists per game to 6.4, which ranks third in the Big Ten.

“It was great actually, just being able to play at home in general: That’s my first time being able to go back home and play,” Fears said at practice after the 78-68 victory in Evanston. “But really the most important thing was getting a win.”

Michigan State endured a disappointing end to last year, losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament but the Spartans are now back to playing fast and physical basketball. After learning from the sidelines last season, Fears is the straw that stirs the drink for a team that consistently rotates 10 players. After getting some March Madness revenge on No. 12 North Carolina early in the season at the Maui Invitational, MSU is undefeated in conference play and has won 10 straight games for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

“My time last year just sitting on the bench and watching everything—just getting experience from watching film, watching other teams, going through the scouting reports—really just helped me go into this year knowing the do’s and don’ts,” Fears said. “Just tightening…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/one-gunshot-wound-jeremy-fears-140000222.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-17 14:00:00

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