Illinois Commit Jeremiah Fears, Team USA Defeat Belize By Nearly 100 Points

Anthony Pasciolla | Jun 4, 2024

AZ Compass Jeremiah Fears (2) drives to the basket during the game between Bartlett High School and AZ Compass Prep School during Memphis Hoopfest at Bartlett High School in Bartlett, Tenn., on Saturday, January 6, 2024. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA

Illinois Fighting Illini commit Jeremiah Fears and the U18 Team USA are dominating the competition in the FIBA AmeriCup in Argentina.

Fears and Team USA defeated Belize by nearly 100 points on Tuesday in the group phase (150–54). The team's leading scorer was Darius Acuff Jr. (23), followed by Christopher Brown (19) and Fears (17). He added an impressive seven steals and six assists on 8 of 16 shooting to his stat line.

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Outside of Team USA, the junior at AZ Compass was a major reason for the team's 20-5 record. Fears averaged 14.2 points and 2.5 steals in 13 games. Here's a scouting report on Fears from Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports.

"Fears is the younger brother of Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears but plays an entirely different brand of basketball. He is a smooth and confident scorer who has no problem finding his own offense within the flow of a game," Jenkins wrote. "A combination guard with a score-first mindset, Fears is at his best in a secondary ball-handling role where he can primarily focus on making shots and creating for himself off the bounce. He is talented with the ball in his hands and has a creative enough handle to break defenders down to get to his pull-up game."

Illinois' season was brought to a close in the Elite Eight by the reigning champion UConn Huskies. Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. is much to thank for the postseason push, as he averaged roughly 34 points in the NCAA and Big Ten Tournament. Fears' commitment to the Fighting Illini makes sense because Shannon is a projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor for Illini Now. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla