Tom Izzo has heaped a ton of praise on his sophomore point guard through the first month of the season, but he’s also been challenging Jeremy Fears Jr. along the way.
Even with Fears playing at an All-American level, Izzo has challenged him to be better on the defensive end. Fears has responded by playing some high-level defense against teams like Kentucky and North Carolina, and he’s the main reason the Spartans are 7-0 on the season and about to be ranked in the top 10 when the new AP Top 25 comes out on Monday.
Michigan State has relied heavily on its star point guard, and he has returned some impressive results, beating three ranked teams this season and two by at least 16.
Fears loves a good challenge, so when Izzo hinted that he could be better defensively, he stepped up his game, and we saw one of the best games from a point guard since Cassius Winston on Thursday evening against the Tar Heels.
After the win, Fears made a strong declaration about his head coach, according to ESPN Plus’ Jack Morgan.
Fears called Izzo “the best coach in the country” before leaving the stand following a dominant win over North Carolina to improve to 7-0.
This statement isn’t all that surprising, but you can tell Fears and the rest of the team truly believes that. We haven’t seen a point guard challenge and be challenged by Izzo since Cassius, and it feels like he’s got the same trajectory in East Lansing. While he may not be as much of an offensive threat as Winston, he is proving to be every bit as valuable.
It’s truly incredible to think that Fears suffered a season-ending injury after being shot in the leg less than two years ago and now he looks like one of the best point guards in the country.
Arguably the best point guard in the country is led by the best coach in the country, and that’s a scary duo to have when March rolls around. Michigan State has a special team on its hands.