EAST LANSING — It’s August and Tom Izzo is already getting ready State of Michigan basketball for an important mission.
A 10-day trip to Spain, less than a week away, with three and possibly four games abroad. Integrating two transfers, Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala, into the lineup. Sliding Jaden Akins into the shooting guard position and grooming Xavier Booker and others for much bigger roles.
And, perhaps most importantly for next season, getting Jeremy Fears Jr. back on the court.
Izzo said Tuesday that his second-year point guard is about “99%” recovered. of a shooting in December 2023 this cost Fears all but 12 games of his freshman season. Izzo, the Hall of Fame coach who is preparing for his 30th season leading the Spartans, said he is pleased with Fears’ progression over the summer.
“I want to see him lead a team, which I know he can do,” Izzo said. “I want to see his defense. I mean, it was difficult because he was away for a long time. But the one thing about Jeremy is he’s already a student of the game and he’s studied the game.”
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In late June, the NCAA granted Fears a medical waiver that allowed him to redshirt for the 2023-24 season. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound native of Joliet, Illinois, was shot in the upper left leg during the early morning hours of Dec. 23 in his hometown, ending his freshman season. The 19-year-old averaged 3.5 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds with 10 steals in 15.3 minutes through MSU’s first 12 games.
“It’s really not difficult to play with him, really. He just makes everything easier for you,” said Akins, a senior. “He sees where everyone is on the court, so it’s not difficult to play with him. … He returned. He’s definitely competitive.”
Since recruiting Fears, Izzo has compared his young point guard’s leadership and abilities to elevate those around him to Mateen Cleaves, who helped Izzo and the Spartans win the 2000 national championship. And barring unforeseen setbacks, Fears appears prepared to take over. the starting point guard spot for AJ Hoggard, who transferred to Vanderbilt for his fifth season of eligibility. MSU also lost two other leaders to graduation, guard Tyson Walker and forward Malik Hall, elevating Fears to one of the vocal leaders for next season.
“Life throws challenges at you and you have to overcome them,” Fears said in March during the Spartans’ NCAA tournament run in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Everyone has obstacles. This is something I will overcome and it will make me a better person and a better player in the long run. …
“I just know that next year I’m going to have to come back the same way, because some of these guys are leaving.”
That process began in late April and early May when Fears returned to 5-on-5 work with his teammates after spending the winter in rehab and returned to some non-contact drills late in the season.
“I feel like he’s really close to 100 percent,” Akins said of Fears after Tuesday’s practice. “He just needs to keep working to get his conditioning back to 100%. But really, beyond that, I feel like he’s been playing pretty much the same way, running a team and making the right plays, hitting guys’ shots and then getting down. He’s looking good to me. …
“Not surprising, really. I mean, I know exactly the kind of person he is. He attacked his rehab hard and it’s paying off now.”
Izzo had MSU practice every other day in preparation for the Aug. 13-22 visit to Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, but he increased that to every day, starting on Monday, with the trip in a week. It will be his first chance to get on the court with senior transfers Fidler, 6-7, from Nebraska-Omaha, and 7-foot Zapala, who previously played at Utah State and Longwood.
“We got Fears back – he wasn’t with us last year, so we’re getting used to playing with him again. And we have a lot of new guys, we have a lot of new guys,” sophomore Booker said. “So it’s learning to play with each other and learning to play with each other. And that’s been the main focus all summer.”
It is the Spartans’ first trip abroad since playing four games in Italy before the 2015-16 season. MSU also went on a summer tour of Australia in 1991 under previous coach Jud Heathcote, when Izzo was his top assistant.
“I hope to get a lot out of it,” said Izzo, who added that he could add a fourth game in Spain alongside the three already scheduled against international opposition.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @crissolari.
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This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Jeremy Fears Jr. will play during Michigan State basketball trip to Spain
