Jeremy Fears is the first commitment to Michigan State basketball’s 2023 recruiting class.
He is the first commitment to Michigan State Basketball head coach Tom Izzo’s 2023 recruiting class. Jeremy Fears according to 247Sports, is a four-star ranked recruit and the 26th nationally ranked player in the 2023 class.
ESPN has Fears ranked lower than 247Sports at No. 31 nationally but he continues to impress those who follow and report on high school basketball recruiting. He is listed at six foot two and 180 pounds and will more than likely to play point guard for the Spartans. He had offers from schools such as Michigan, Illinois, and others.
Michigan State has players currently and entering next season who have and who can play the point guard position in AJ Hoggard, Tyson Walker, Jaden Akins, and incoming freshmen Tre Holloman. However, the Spartans were clearly looking to add a point guard for the 2023 incoming recruiting class to help bolster Michigan State’s backcourt.
After Cassius Winston graduated and went to the NBA, the Spartans have not had a dominate point guard of the future who can score, not turn the ball over often, and provide many assists. Walker has done an adequate at the point guard position this season but more was expected from him especially on the offensive end. Hoggard is more of a scorer than Walker but he still comes off of the bench and has not become an all around point guard that allows him to start. In theory, Fears can play a lot of minutes if the point guards don’t progress to the satisfaction of Izzo and his staff.
Fears may not be the most highly rated point guard in the country but he has a ton of potential and is projected to be a first round NBA pick when his time in East Lansing is all said and done. He should not be undervalued or overlooked because he isn’t currently a top-10 national five star recruit because being a top 30 recruit still shows that he has potential to do very well at the college level.
Fears fits the mold and mindset of Izzo and his coaching philosophy as he has been regarded by those who have covered him on the recruiting trail as having, a high basketball IQ who focuses on not turning the ball over, distributing the ball, getting to the basket, scoring late in game when needed. He looks to get his teammates involved but when he gets the ball and is one one one with a defender, he looks to score and often does with relative ease. He can also shoot from the outside but his specialty is getting into the paint and getting to the basketball to get the basket.
The Spartans basketball program is known to put a lot of emphasis on their weight lifting and conditioning program and it will help develop Fear into a potential dominant point guard in the Big Ten by his sophomore year.
Michigan State should continue to build momentum in recruiting for the 2023 class and their ability to get their players quality NIL deals for their players could only help. Look for Izzo and his staff to add more student-athletes to the 2023 class this spring and maybe even a late fall signee as well.