Tom Izzo issues statement after Jeremy Fears Jr. hospitalized from gunshot

Some very scary news came out Saturday afternoon regarding Michigan State basketball player Jeremy Fears when the school released a statement that he had been injured from a gunshot wound.

Here was the statement from Michigan State, as provided by Ian Kress of WLNS:

“Jeremy Fears Jr. suffered non-life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound in the leg late Friday/early Saturday in the Joliet (Illinois) area.”

He also provided a second statement from Spartans head coach Tom Izzo:

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

Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press also confirmed the story and noted that the freshman guard was back in his hometown when the incident occurred.

“MSU freshman guard Jeremy Fears was shot around his hometown Joliet, Illinois, a school spokesman confirms. Non-life threatening to leg.”

Prayers for Fears and his family after a very scary ordeal involving the Spartan player.

Background on Jeremy Fears

Fears was one of the shiny new pieces for Tom Izzo this season and a highly-ranked member of the 2023 recruiting class. He was rated the No. 41 overall player, the No. 11 point guard and the No. 1 prospect from the state of Illinois by the On3 Industry Rankings.

Here was the skinny on him out of high school, via the On3 database:

“Jeremy Fears grew up in what he describes as a basketball family. His father played hoops, as did his aunt and his grandmother. His younger brother, Jeremiah Fears, is also a highly-regarded player in the 2025 recruiting class.

“Fears played basketball at Joliet (Ill.) West before transferring to La Lumiere in Indiana. He transferred back to Joliet West before his senior year. In 2021, Fearsplayed on the USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team at the 2021 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. He also was on the USA team for the 2022 FIBA Men’s U17 World Cup, where he won a gold medal and finished tied for third in the competition in assists.

“In addition to Jeremiah, he also has another younger brother and a younger sister. Two television shows he enjoys are All American and Stranger Things.”

Michigan State, like most college hoops programs, is breaking for Christmas and players are allowed a few days to go home and spend some time with the family. What an awful situation for he and the family and right at Christmas. Prayers up.