Jeremy Fears Jr.'s Spain showing was more than encouraging

Spain trip in the books and Michigan State basketball fans have a better idea of what their team might look like ahead of the 2024 season.

The Spartans got a chance to show what they could do against three professional teams from Spain and Serbia and they went 2-1 on the trip. They eked out an opening win over Madrid, then beat Valencia by about 50, and then lost a tight one to KK FMP, one of the top professional teams from Serbia. It was a nice trip for the team overall.

While all eyes were on the center position and I feel like Jaxon Kohler exceeded expectations, many were concerned about the point guard spot with experience at a premium.

Tre Holloman returns as a junior and he does have two years of experience under his belt, but never in extended stretches. Jeremy Fears Jr. is the perceived top option to start at point guard but he missed half of his freshman season after being shot in the leg back in December. There were questions regarding his health and conditioning.

Those were answered in Spain.

While Fears wasn't lighting up the scoreboard, he was playing solid defense and also running the point on offense to near perfection. Sure, he turned the ball over a handful of times and it had to drive Tom Izzo nuts, but he made up for that with crisp passes, strong fast-breaks, good decisions, and a total command of the offense. He set the offense up for success and that's all you can ask.

As for the worries about his health or conditioning, he looked like a fully healthy player who hasn't skipped a beat since he suffered that gunshot wound to the leg in December.

Fears' performance in Spain was one of the most encouraging signs for this team.