Senior forward Jaxon Kohler (0) and redshirt sophomore point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) celebrate after a Spartan score during the March Madness matchup against North Dakota State at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., on March 19, 2026.
Michigan State's men's basketball season opener is still six weeks away, but junior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is already claiming national recognition.
Blue Ribbon College Basketball named Fears its preseason National Player of the Year, making him the first Spartan to earn the honor since Mateen Cleaves in 2000. The Spartans also landed at No. 4 in the Blue Ribbon preseason rankings.
The Joliet, Illinois native has been widely considered one of the NCAA's best players since he announced he would forgo the NBA draft and return to East Lansing.
Last season, Fears averaged 15.2 points and led both the Big Ten and the nation with 9.4 assists per game, making him the only player in the country to average at least 15 points and 9 assists. His 328 assists set a school record, topping Cassius Winston's mark of 291 from 2018-19.
The Spartans play the first of three exhibition games at 7 p.m. on Oct. 2 against Incarnate Word at the Breslin Center, the same night as the Izzone campout.
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