Michigan State Guard Jeremy Feets Jr. receives medical redshirt for the season
HOLT – Jeremy Fears Jr. is still a freshman and eligible to play for Michigan State’s basketball team, but the point guard from Joliet, Illinois, will still be tasked with being one of the team’s leaders this winter.
MSU confirmed Thursday that Fears has been granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA after appearing in 12 games last winter in his freshman season for the Spartans. Fears suffered a gunshot wound to the leg during the Christmas break last December that required surgery and caused him to miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
“I’ve known it for a while, but I’m grateful to get the year back and basically go back in as a freshman but with a few games under my belt,” Fears said. “It’s going to help me in the long run to get to know the college and watch practice. I’ve been able to do everything the team has been doing, but I’m grateful to be able to move around and get back in the flow of things.”
Fears is not among the 12 MSU players spread across the six Moneyball Pro-Am teams, but he plans to step in if a Spartan is out. That was the case Thursday, when Fears filled in for senior Jaden Akins on Team Motocars, scoring 19 points while playing alongside sophomore forward Xavier Booker.
Fears said he is still working on getting back to 100 percent playability, and the Moneyball games allowed him to get extra reps by walking up and down the court while working on certain aspects of his game.
With Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard leaving, Fears will take on a larger role in the backcourt alongside junior guard Tre Holloman. And with that comes a louder leadership role.
“Coach (Tom Izzo) wants me to be a leader and he has a lot of trust in me to be that,” Fears said. “For me, it’s about taking that next step, controlling the team, helping everyone get better and leading and growing as a player myself. It’s nothing I haven’t experienced before, but to take that step at the highest level has been a dream of mine. There are big expectations, but at the end of the day, it’s basketball.”
Contact Nathaniel Bott at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
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