Jeremy Fears shares message after injury in shooting

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears has released a message on Instagram after he was injured in a shooting in the early morning hours on Saturday. He is expected to make a full recovery, the program said.

Fears posted a selfie on his Instagram story after his surgery. He was shot in the leg at approx. 4 a.m. in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois, according to local radio station WJOL.

“Minor setback we gone be good,” Fears wrote. “Appreciate yall [sic].”

From Jeremy Fears Jr.’s Instagram pic.twitter.com/1LDSUvXuDn

— Kyle Austin (@kylebaustin) December 23, 2023

Details are scarce regarding the incident, and ESPN’s Myron Medcalf reported a public information officer from the Joliet Police Department was unavailable because it’s a holiday weekend. However, WJOL reported two people were shot in the Marycrest Subdivision around 4 a.m. CT.

Fears’ father, Jeremy Fears Sr., told The Detroit News’ Madeline Kenney his son’s surgery was a three-hour operation on his thigh. It’s likely Jeremy Fears Jr. will be out about two months, he said.

“At this point now, it’s just the road to recovery,” Fears Sr. told Kenney.

Michigan State confirmed Fears suffered a leg injury in a Saturday statement, and Tom Izzo said Fears is recovering from surgery.

“Jeremy underwent surgery this morning and is resting comfortably,” Izzo said in a statement. “While there is much we still don’t know, my focus is supporting Jeremy on his road to recovery.”

Fears played high school basketball at Joliet West High School, where he was a four-star recruit. He was the nation’s No. 41 overall recruit and the top recruit in the state of Illinois from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

So far through his freshman season, Fears has played a reserve role for Michigan State. In 12 appearances, he’s averaging 3.5 points and 3.3 assists per game as the Spartans went through an up-and-down start to the year. His biggest game came against Georgia Southern when he had six points and 10 rebounds to help lead Michigan State to the 86-55 victory.

Michigan State won three straight games heading into its holiday break, including a resounding 99-55 victory over Stony Brook earlier this week. In that game, Fears Jr. had a new career high with 10 assists off the bench as the Spartans improved to 7-5 overall.

Next up for MSU is a matchup against Indiana State on Dec. 30 at the Breslin Center.