Izzo: Jeremy Fears Has Stayed Grounded Amid the Hype

Over the course of the offseason, Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. has been pulling in preseason accolades left and right.

It seems like every other day, another media outlet is crowning Fears as a preseason Player of the Year candidate, while many are also picking the Spartans to win the Big Ten.

That in itself is a testament to just how highly Fears and Michigan State are regarded heading into the season.

The talking heads around the nation can't seem to stop clamoring for the Spartans and discussing just how successful they should be — or, in some cases, how successful they need to be.

With all of that talk, it's no secret that expectations can infiltrate a locker room. They can start playing games in the minds of players and create a mixed bag of emotions.

Some players can lean into the expectations, remain calm and prove everyone right.

Others can hear too much of the outside noise, feel the pressure and expectations building, and ultimately try to become someone they're not on the court.

It's happened time and time again. For a player to reach their full potential, learning how to block out the outside noise can be just as important as what happens between the lines.

I had a chance to ask Tom Izzo how he avoids those expectations becoming a distraction for his team, especially with so much attention surrounding Fears.

Izzo responded with a modest flex, explaining that he's been in this position plenty of times throughout his career.

“Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, how do I avoid it becoming a distraction for Jeremy or for us. Fortunately, I've been there long enough that we've had a lot of times when expectations have been high.”

Izzo then shifted his focus toward Fears and what has impressed him most about the junior guard this offseason.

“For a player, it's always a little different. I think he's been through some things that help him stay grounded. I will say this, this summer I thought he's had one of the best summers he's ever had there. I haven't seen, you know, now you know there's a lot of four-letter words I use that I can't use here, but one (word) that's as bad as any of them is entitlement, and I think we're getting a lot of people entitled. He has not shown any entitlement and that's what excites me the most.”

There is no shortage of expectations surrounding the Spartans this season.

Leaning into those expectations or trying to avoid them can both become problematic if they aren't handled properly. For Michigan State, though, this isn't Izzo's first rodeo.

Entering his 31st season, Izzo has coached countless teams with Final Four expectations — some that succeeded and some that fell short. He's also coached teams that entered the season without those expectations and shocked the world by making a run to the Final Four.

The difference often comes down to how a team handles everything that comes with those expectations.

Izzo knows how to manage that pressure, and more importantly, he knows how quickly entitlement can become a distraction.

For Fears, the expectations aren't going anywhere.

He's regarded as one of the best players in college basketball, and that spotlight will follow him throughout the season. But if Izzo's assessment of his summer is any indication, Fears isn't allowing the hype to change who he is.

No entitlement.

No distraction.

Just the next chapter in Fears' path toward becoming the player everyone already expects him to be.