A few months ago, with roughly 90 minutes left to decide, Jeremy Fears took his name off the NBA draft pool and returned to Michigan State for another year under head coach Tom Izzo. The Spartan junior seems to have made the best decision, as Izzo already sees a bright future for his guard.
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Fears started his junior season efficiently, scoring 13 points and adding 11 assists in a 96-59 win over Quinnipiac. But in the last two games, his offense cooled down as his shooting percentage dropped and turnovers increased, prompting Izzo to hold a long meeting with his player, who vowed to respond.
“I’d have to say that I had a long meeting with Jeremy this morning, and he vowed what he was going to do, and he might have had his best game as a Spartan,” Izzo told reporters after the win over Northern Iowa. “He might have had the best game of anybody. The way he ran the team, the way he shot the ball, the way he scored it. Nine assists, no turnovers, should have had a couple more assists. Really, really proud of him.”
Fears recorded 24 points and nine assists, both game-highs, without committing a turnover throughout his 28 minutes on the floor, helping his team secure another dominant 106-72 win. He made 6-of-7 field goal attempts, including 4-of-5 from deep, tying his personal best.
Fears was the preseason National Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball. He was also named the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, and he has lived up to expectations, recording his best season yet in the Spartans jersey. After four games, he is looking like a first-round pick in the 2027 draft, and his decision to return for another year might be his best decision yet.
Fears comes from a basketball family. His father, Jeremy Fears Sr., played college basketball, and his brother Jeremiah Fears plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. He realized early in his career that great players look beyond themselves and do not constantly hunt for shots.
It’s been four years since he started playing college basketball, and he has got enough trust from Izzo to hunt for his shots, but Fears loves playing his own game, involving everybody on his team and letting the offense come to him.
After four games, Michigan State remains undefeated. Tom Izzo often smiles on the sideline, and Fears, who is averaging 16.8 points and 10.0 assists on 54.8% shooting, is a big reason behind that. His numbers are truly looking like those of a National Player of the Year frontrunner.
Even when he declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, Fears said that a lot of teams showed interest in him. He had eight workouts with different teams before deciding to pull his name out.
“It was good feedback,” Fears said. “Everybody was really interested. They liked me. I think, honestly, it could have gone either way. I was able to stay in and do more workouts and give myself a little more time [in case] something special could’ve happened. But at the same time, I’m grateful to be back with my guys and doing [Moneyball].”
By deciding to return, Jeremy Fears Jr. has time to further hone his skills. He could have been a second-round pick in 2026, but it looks like he wants to solidify his name as a first-round pick next year.
The 24 points against Northern Iowa were the red-shirted junior’s first 20-point game this season, and the 10th of his career. He has scored in double digits in all four games this season, and it was the 61st time in his time with Michigan State that he has led his team in assists. Fears (604 assists) is only six assists shy of passing A.J. Hoggard (2020-24) for fifth-most assists in program history.