Michigan
As Jeremy Fears recovers, Michigan State basketball explores medical redshirt for freshman
EAST LANSING — Tom Izzo stopped short of saying Jeremy Fears Jr. is done for the rest of the season.
However, the Michigan State basketball coach Monday gave a glimpse of what is ahead in the coming months as his freshman recovers from a December gunshot wound to his left leg.
“There’s some guys that are quick healers and some guys that aren’t quick healers,” Izzo said during his weekly news conference. “He is a tremendously quick healer. … Does that mean he’s gonna play this year? No. But does that mean that he’s really getting better and will have a spring and summer to get well on and improve his skills? Yes.”
Fears was shot Dec. 23 in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois, while on Christmas break, a little more than 24 hours after MSU’s win over Stony Brook in which he had a career-high 10 assists in the 99-55 win.
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There remains no timeline for Fears to return to full basketball activities. Izzo said the 6-foot-2, 190-pound point guard has resumed doing some on-court shooting continues to exercise on an underwater treadmill. He has been walking without crutches since January.
Izzo said MSU plans to seek a redshirt season for Fears, which might require an NCAA petition after he played in the Spartans’ first 12 games this season. Fears averaged 3.5 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds over with 10 steals 15.3 minutes per game before being shot.
Paperwork for a potential medical redshirt cannot be submitted until after a season is complete. According to the NCAA, a basketball player must meet three conditions to be granted hardship waiver for “an incapacity resulting from an injury or illness.” They cannot have participated in more than 30% of their team’s games, the injury/illness must be season-ending and verified, and the injury/illness must have occurred “prior to the completion of the first half of the playing season.”
“We’re gonna try to do that,” Izzo said about a potential redshirt for Fears, who turns 19 on April 19. “I don’t know if he’ll ever use it or need it. I don’t know what’s gonna happen in the future. … His circumstances are more than deserving of that, and yet I’m definitely not politicking right now. I’m just saying I think we’re in a time when there are no rules, but the only time the rules seem to come up is when the rules probably aren’t fair. I mean, here’s a case where a kid deserves to be looked at. And we’ll do that.”
Izzo called Fears “a unique kid” who has remained active on the bench and during MSU’s timeouts and halftime meetings, as well as during the week at practice.
“He’s always got something to say that’s right on,” Izzo said. “And I appreciate that about him.”
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Senior point guard A.J. Hoggard said Fears’ recovery has made a positive impact on his teammates as well.
“Just the way he came back, he wasn’t really walking the same a little bit. So to see him light jogging and being able to jump up and down a little bit, it’s definitely big,” Hoggard said. “And it shows that he’s on his way back. He’s gonna be really healthy and ready to go, probably within another month or so. So it’s definitely big to see him get back to doing what he loves to do and just kind of being more a part of the team and not just sitting on the sidelines as much as he was.”
MSU (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten) is 10-4 since Fears went out. The Spartans, on a three-game win streak that pulled them into a three-way tie for third place in the league with Wisconsin and Northwestern, host Iowa at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Their lone regular-season game with the Hawkeyes (15-11, 7-8) will not be televised but will be streamed on Peacock.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
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Michigan
Chicago says goodbye to summer with last dips in Lake Michigan
![Chicago says goodbye to summer with last dips in Lake Michigan Chicago says goodbye to summer with last dips in Lake Michigan](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/02/9f2fa7f3-d3e3-43f0-b125-d77e9f4182b2/thumbnail/1200x630/bd48e2635a0610a602d42c77d164d806/c954608610cd987b55589ab2f43bb9d3.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
CHICAGO (CBS) — We may not be ready to say goodbye to summer yet, and for the last beach day, the water wasn’t as rough Monday as it was over the weekend, but starting Tuesday, the beaches will be closed.
Just south of North Avenue Beach, in the area known as Concrete Beach, many come to take a dip in Lake Michigan, including six young ladies from DePaul University, before classes start on Wednesday.
“I haven’t been in the city much, though this is my first time at the Concrete Beach. I’m having an amazing time. I love it here. I’ve heard so much about it,” said DePaul student Kaylin Victor.
“It’s just a pretty spot. So we’re like ‘Let’s go.’ More it’s something to do. It’s a gorgeous view,” said DePaul student Lulu Lindsay.
If you weren’t in the water, you may have spent the day relaxing on the beach or in the shade to get out and enjoy what could be limited sunshine.
On Monday afternoon, the lakefront was packed with people trying to squeeze in the last bit of summer during the holiday weekend.
Michigan
'The Shark' Is Trying to Swim Across Lake Michigan Again
!['The Shark' Is Trying to Swim Across Lake Michigan Again 'The Shark' Is Trying to Swim Across Lake Michigan Again](https://img2-azrcdn.newser.com/image/1556801-12-20240902100021.jpeg)
An ultra swimmer says he will try again to cross Lake Michigan, from Michigan to Wisconsin, just a few weeks after trouble with a GPS device forced him to give up after 60 miles. Jim Dreyer says he will set off early Monday evening in Grand Haven. He says the journey to Milwaukee will cover at least 80 milesin the water and last 72 hours or more, the AP reports. Dreyer, 61, will also be towing a small inflatable boat with supplies.
“Sorry for the last-minute notice, but chaos is often part of this open water swimming game,” he said on Facebook. He also posted “Here I Go Again,” a 1987 power ballad video by Whitesnake. Dreyer, who calls himself “The Shark,” crossed Lake Michigan in 1998, starting in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and finishing in Ludington, Michigan. But three attempts to do it again have been unsuccessful since 2023. His last effort began on Aug. 6. The next day, he paused to get fresh AA batteries to keep a GPS device working. But during the process, Dreyer said he somehow lost the bag in the lake.
He had only a compass and nature to help him try to keep moving west. But Dreyer ended up swimming north instead, burning precious time and adding more miles as risky weather approached. A support crew pulled him out of Lake Michigan on Aug. 8. “What a blow!” Dreyer said at the time.
(More Lake Michigan stories.)
Michigan
Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith pumps brakes on overreacting to opening win
EAST LANSING – Tanner Miller snapped the ball and then created a massive opening up the middle at the left hash.
Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams took the handoff and sprinted through the hole for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give Michigan State a 16-0 lead.
That brought Spartan Stadium fans to their feet, at least those who already found their seats. Inclement weather resulted in a delay opening gates to spectators and lines outside the stadium remained – especially for the student section – until late in the first half. Those who weren’t inside when Lynch-Adams crossed the goal line didn’t witness a single point scored by the home team.
Michigan State topped Florida Atlantic 16-10 on Friday night in a stressful opener under first-year coach Jonathan Smith.
“Game ones, you’re going to learn a lot about your team and we’ve got a lot to work on,” Smith said. “What I did learn and was pleased with is that there’s a response in this group. We are going to play for four quarters. You win the game in the fourth quarter and we were able to do that.”
Season openers can be sloppy and that was the case for the Spartans, with a new staff and schemes and 61 first-year players on the roster. Michigan State committed three turnovers, 12 penalties for 140 yards and was a mess in the red zone. It was far from a clean performance but Smith, now in his seventh season as a head coach, pumped the brakes.
“I do think a little bit about Week 1 is kind of overreaction Saturday,” he said late Friday night. “The first impression, right, this is the first time that team’s out there. Well, then you begin to label, oh, they’re good on this side, they’re not good on this side. These guys can go to the playoff, these guys are out. It’s overreaction Saturday. We go back to work.”
So, no panic. That’s the measured approach but doesn’t quiet concerns about the product on the field. It was a shaky debut for quarterback Aidan Chiles, who completed only 10 of 24 passes for 114 yards, two interceptions and rushed for a score.
“I’m taking full responsibility for everything that happened today,” Chiles said amid frustration. “You always want to come out and play good football and do what you’ve got to do and I felt like I tried to do that and didn’t do what I’m used to doing. I play football for a living and I didn’t come out and perform to my best today.”
Chiles showed flashes of his talent but wasn’t sharp in his first college start. Amid an attempted revival for an offensively starved program, the sophomore needs other playmakers to stand out.
“He wants to play better,” Smith said of Chiles. “Well, I think the other 10 guys on offense want to play better. We’ve got to help the guy out.”
Smith’s Oregon State squad had the No. 1 red zone offense in the nation last season, scoring on 41 of 42 trips. The Spartans finished 1-for-4 in the red zone on Friday with a pair of turnovers while struggling to pound the ball inside the 20. Wipe out Lynch-Adams’ 63-yard score, he and starting running back Nathan Carter combined to average just 3.1 yards per rush.
“We’ve got to be able to run the ball and make the thing physical,” Smith said. “That will help red zone offense.”
On the other side of the ball, Michigan State’s defense keyed the season-opening win under new coordinator Joe Rossi. The Spartans limited the Owls to 248 yards and 3-for-13 on third down.
“We talk about response all the time,” defensive back Angelo Grose said after a team-high 12 tackles with an interception. “When things ain’t going our way, how are we going to respond, how are we going to go out there and still do what we need to do? I feel like we really emphasized that and that’s what we went out there and did.”
Although Michigan State’s defense got the stops needed to secure a win, penalties were a major problem. Starting safety Malik Spencer was disqualified for targeting and linebacker Jordan Turner avoided the same outcome after a review for his hit on Florida Atlantic quarterback Cam Fancher. And there were other errors to correct.
“We want to play with some aggression, but we’ve got to have some technique at the same time,” Smith said. “It’s not just, oh, it was a late hit. We got a horse-collar here, we’ve got to be smart around the sideline.”
Michigan State accomplished its overall Week 1 goal by picking up a win but needs to regroup quickly for the start of Big Ten play. The Spartans hit the road to face Maryland, which rolled to a 50-7 victory against UConn in the opener.
“We’re probably going to go in there with disgust,” Chiles said of watching film from the season opener. “We don’t want to go in there and watch that. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do, we didn’t do what we know we can do. It’s a new week, we get another opportunity. We won the game, go us, and we get to come back and do it again.”
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