MSU Basketball: Tom Izzo gives injury update on Jeremy Fears, Tyson Walker
Michigan State men's basketball freshman point guard Jeremy Fears will not return to play for the Spartans this season, head coach Tom Izzo confirmed on Monday afternoon.
Fears was shot in the leg on Dec. 23 while home on Christmas break and has been sidelined ever since. Izzo had previously not ruled out the possibility of the freshman playing again in 2023-24, but had always expressed that Fears' recovery was always the priority, not basketball.
"Jeremy's had unbelievable progress," Izzo said on Monday. "He's shooting now and doing things I never thought he'd do. There are some guys who are quick healers and some guys that aren't quick healers. He is a tremendously quick healer."
Izzo noted that Fears was back on his feet walking sooner than expected and has transitioned to now jogging in water to continue rebuilding strength.
"Does that mean he's going to play this year? No," Izzo said. "But, does that mean he's really getting better and will have a spring and summer to get well and improve his skills? Yes."
Despite having his freshman season cut short, Izzo has said previously that Fears has remained in good spirits. The freshman remains on the bench for the Spartans, and can often be seen with a big smile on his face and hyping up his teammates during play. Fears' continued involvement is not lost on his head coach.
"Jeremy's a unique kid, man," Izzo said. "He's still in those huddles, he's in those timeouts, he's at the halftimes. He's always got something to say that's right on, and I appreciate that about him."
Michigan State is exploring a medical redshirt option for Fears, who appeared in 10 games this season. Izzo said the program has submitted an application to the NCAA to try to preserve a year of eligibility for the freshman.
"We're going to try to do that. I don't know if he'll ever use it or need it. I don't know what's going to happen in the future," Izzo said. "Right now, I think we've got 40 year old's playing in some football leagues, so we should be able to petition and get something. It seems like everybody else can. His circumstances are more than deserving of that."
Izzo also gave a brief update on leading-scorer Tyson Walker, who has battled through a nagging groin injury and several other ailments throughout the season.
"Tyson's always going to have the day after a game off," Izzo said. "He practiced yesterday a little bit, but we didn't do much yesterday. Hopefully, he'll be able to go today. Everybody else is, I think, very healthy."
Winners of eight of their last 10 games, Michigan State has moved into a three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten with Wisconsin and Northwestern. The Spartans will host Iowa on Tuesday (7 p.m./Peacock).
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