Jeremy Fears made an important decision regarding his immediate future less than two weeks ago now and his return to East Lansing for his junior season was expected but still feels like a huge win.
When the season ended, no one expected to lose anyone outside of Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Denham Wojcik, and Trey Fort. Fears entering his name into the draft a few weeks after the season ended wasn’t a huge surprise and everyone expected him to get some feedback and return, but the decision took a lot longer than a lot of us had hoped.
In fact, it took until just two hours before the withdrawal deadline for the news to break. The good news was celebrated throughout Spartan Nation and the relief was palpable.
Tom Izzo, however, claims that he was never worried about losing Fears to the NBA. He said that the communication between both sides was great throughout and that Fears told Izzo when he entered his name that he would just be getting some feedback and returning. Izzo was kind of under the impression that Fears was a lock to return based on their conversations.
Fears, on the other hand, surprisingly admitted that it was a down-to-the-wire decision, per Owen Oszust.
"It kind of came to the last minute. I had a workout on the 27th so that was making the decision… Different situations, different people depending on if they were staying in (the NBA draft), they were going out. Just trying to figure out what’s best."Jeremy Fears on his decision
It’s kind of surprising to hear him say that it came down to the last minute, but I think he has to say that. If he was like “yeah, I knew I was always coming back”, everyone would probably feel some type of way about him waiting until the final two hours to announce.
Either way, the only thing that matters is that he did come back and Michigan State now has the best point guard in college basketball leading the quest for a national title.
Michigan State fans will face even more stress next year
If you thought waiting for Fears to announce his decision to return was bad, just wait until next year when it’s not only the All-American point guard, but several of his teammates, too.
Fears will have another decision to make next offseason, but if all goes as planned, he’ll likely be an NBA prospect. Along with Fears is Coen Carr. There’s a legitimate chance the NCAA passes a fifth-year eligibility ruling that would take effect for 2026-27 seniors, but I just don’t see Carr wanting to take advantage of that. Then there’s Jordan Scott who’s been projected as a top prospect by some experts along with Jasiah Jervis.
Get ready for several underclassmen to declare next offseason and really make fans nervous.
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