Tom Izzo Compares Jeremy Fears to Mateen Cleaves After Michigan State’s Season Opener
Legendary Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo wasn’t thrilled with how his team started its season on Monday night, as the Spartans struggled early against Colgate. But once again, Izzo turned to his floor general, Jeremy Fears, to take control — and the sophomore point guard delivered, leading the team to a gritty win.
Izzo, who has long praised Fears for his leadership and poise, even drew a lofty comparison after the game — one that connects the young guard to one of the program’s all-time greats, Mateen Cleaves.
“Jeremy Fears, I said, is a version of Mateen Cleaves,” Izzo told reporters. “He’s not there yet, but he can be. When the head goes, the body usually follows — and when the head goes south, the body usually follows. There’s a lot of pressure on Jeremy because, right now, those wings haven’t played very well.”
Mateen Cleaves, who starred at Michigan State from 1996 to 2000, is one of the most iconic players in school history. He was a consensus All-American, a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, and the leader of the 2000 NCAA Championship team. His No. 12 jersey now hangs in the Breslin Center rafters, symbolizing the legacy that every Spartan point guard since has chased.
Fears, a four-star recruit from the Class of 2023 and former McDonald’s All-American, is beginning to carve out his own path toward that standard. Last season, he started all 36 games as a freshman and led the Spartans in assists.
Against Colgate, Fears showed why Izzo holds him in such high regard. The sophomore logged a team-high 34 minutes, posting a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, while also grabbing five rebounds.
“I thought Jeremy, that second half, did everything I asked him to do and more,” Izzo said. “The stats — the rebounds, the steals, the assists, the low turnovers — were unbelievable. He lost it a little in the first half, but thank God he regrouped. And I understood why — our bigs didn’t cover those ball screens like we worked on. But that’s my job, not his.”
Izzo will need another strong performance from Fears as Michigan State prepares for a tough early-season test, hosting Arkansas this Saturday in East Lansing.
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