In December of 2023, Jeremy Fears Jr. was shot in the leg during his holiday break from school. Almost exactly a year later the redshirt freshman has filled a leadership role for Michigan State on and off the court.

Following the Spartans' win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday, MSU head coach Tom Izzo shared that he felt Fears "took a major step" during this game at home. Although Fears put up some impressive stats throughout the game, Izzo was not referring to his game play.

"He was demonstrative," stated Izzo. "He was begging, he was prodding, he was after guys to play harder and check better."

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