Michigan

Michigan Panthers showcase stability in kicking off 2025 training camp

Published

1 year ago

March 3, 2025

Michigan Panthers showcase stability in kicking off 2025 training camp

In a league that’s heavy on turnover, the Michigan Panthers have found some stability entering the 2025 season.

More than 60% of the projected roster is made up of returning players, and the entire coaching staff is back, including third-year head coach Mike Nolan. That made things a bit easier Monday as the Panthers hit the field for the first practice of training camp, ahead of the March 30 United Football League season opener at Memphis.

The return of the entire coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Collin Bauer and defensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille, is a big benefit, if an overlooked one, especially since training camp is about a week shorter than last season, when the United States Football League and XFL merged operations.

“It’s better than putting in a new system on a short training camp,” Nolan said after practice Monday. “I would say it’s good. Our players obviously that are returning will know the language, so you don’t have an entire football team learning a new language. That’s a little bit of, I will use the word, advantage. That’s the biggest thing.

“The players are the ones that benefit, the fact the coaches are all back. It’s easier for the returning players to kind of pick it up and just start playing football. Because of that, that also helps the new guys learn that much quicker.

“I really enjoy our coaching staff. They like doing this and so do it. It’s a good deal.”

The Panthers had near-full participation during a shortened practice Monday, including from the team’s three quarterbacks, returners Danny Etling and Bryce Perkins and newcomer Rocky Lombardi (Michigan State), a sign that contract talks between the UFL ownership and players is going well. The league’s 24 quarterbacks signed a letter holding out of a mini-camp last week amid contract negotiations over salaries and health care.

The Panthers, like with all eight UFL teams, are practicing in the Arlington, Texas, area, and will continue to travel each week to all 10 regular-season games, including five home games at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Panthers made the playoffs each of the last two seasons, in the USFL in 2023 and the UFL in 2024. Michigan was 7-3 last season, a year most-known for the emergence of future Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates. Several other Michigan Panthers from 2024 got looks from NFL teams, a big reason, Nolan believes, why the roster stability is so strong.

“They know they have a shot to get back in the NFL,” said Nolan, a former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

Nolan said he expects two areas to see significant competition this spring: the secondary and offensive line. He also is intrigued by the receivers in camp. Running back Jaden Shirden, of Monmouth, made a strong impression Monday.

The Panthers have 61 players in training camp, including eight with local ties: Lombardi, offensive lineman Brian Dooley (Eastern Michigan), offensive lineman J.D. Duplain (Michigan State), defensive back Gemon Green (Michigan), defensive back Keni-H Lovely (Western Michigan), running back Nate McCrary (Muskegon; Saginaw Valley State), tight end Gunnar Oakes (Eastern Michigan) and defensive end Kenny Willekes (Rockford; Michigan State).

The rosters will be cut down to 50, with 43 active (including a third, emergency quarterback) on game days. The Panthers open the season on the road, before playing three straight home games, starting Friday night, April 4, against Birmingham at Ford Field.

“We’re always trying to get better,” Nolan, 65, said following the introductory practice Monday. “The energy was really good, the guys are obviously eager to get out there and run around. I thought there was a little more athleticism out of some of the guys, the new guys.

“It’s a good group.”

Michigan Panthers schedule

▶ March 30: at Memphis, noon (ESPN)

▶ April 4: vs. Birmingham, 8 (Fox)

▶ April 13: vs. San Antonio, noon (ABC)

▶ April 18: vs. Memphis, 8 (Fox)

▶ April 26: at St. Louis 7 (ESPN)

▶ May 4: vs. DC, noon (ESPN2)

▶ May 10: at Arlington, 1 (Fox)

▶ May 17: at Houston, 1 (Fox)

▶ May 24: at Birmingham, 3 (ABC)

▶ May 31: vs. Houston, 3 (ESPN)

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984

Source link

Click to comment

Michigan

‘This Point Guard University:’ Jeremy Fears heaps praise on Michigan State after win

Published

4 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

‘This Point Guard University:’ Jeremy Fears heaps praise on Michigan State after win

MSU is PGU, at least if Jeremy Fears Jr. is to be believed.

Following a 16-assist performance in a win over Louisville in the second round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament, Fears had high praise for the Michigan State program in a court-side interview with CBS’ Tracy Wolfson.

“This Point Guard University,” Fears said with MSU’s Tom Izzo on his shoulder. “Coach (Tom Izzo) had great point guards before me and I’m just trying to keep it going, but overall it’s my teammates. You know teammates they making the shots, they doing the hard part I’m just getting them the ball.”

It’s true Michigan State has quite the point guard pedigree. While Magic Johnson is the quintessential college and professional point guard, Fears is developing a resume in his own right. His 16 assists were the most for a Spartan in a March Madness game in program history, and he became the first Big Ten player since Magic himself to have back-to-back double-digit assist games in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State will now gear up to play the winner of UConn and UCLA in the Sweet 16, with a bit of a break beforehand. Time will tell if the spirits of Denzel Valentine and Drew Neitzel will continue to guide him and the Spartans.

Source link

Michigan

Who is Jeremy Fears Jr.? What to know about Michigan State point guard

Published

16 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

Who is Jeremy Fears Jr.? What to know about Michigan State point guard

There haven’t been many playmakers in college basketball better than Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. this season.

The Spartans’ 6-foot-2 point guard is second in the country in assists per game, only behind Purdue’s Braden Smith. Fears also entered the Men’s NCAA Tournament as one of the top guards in the 68-team field, and a reason why the Spartans are seen as a team that could make a deep run to the Final Four.

But his playmaking isn’t the only part of his game that has helped him earn a spot on the finalist list for the Wooden Award or be in the mix for the top player in the Big Ten. He’s also been able to impact games for the Spartans with his ability to score in all three levels.

Fears finished with seven points in Michigan State’s opening-round win over North Dakota State on Thursday, his seventh game this season in which he finished with single-digit points. He’ll look to improve that stat line on Saturday when the Spartans take on 6-seed Louisville in the second round of the East Region at 2:45 p.m. ET in Buffalo, New York.

Here’s what to know about Fears:

Jeremy Fears Jr stats

Here’s a breakdown of Fears’ stats this season at Michigan State:

2025-26: 15.7 points per game, 9.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals with a 44.5% field goal shooting percentage

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of Fears’ stats in the Big Ten tournament:

Game 1 vs. UCLA (Quarterfinals): 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 13 assists, a rebound and a steal

Here’s a breakdown of Fears’ stats in March Madness:

Game 1 vs. North Dakota State (First Round): Seven points on 2-of-6 shooting with 11 assists and two rebounds

How old is Jeremy Fears Jr?

Jeremy Fears Jr. is 20 years old. He’ll turn 21 on April 19, 2026.

Is Jeremy Fears Jr a dirty player?

It really depends on who you ask and how you analyze Fears’ game.

Some notable examples of this include him kicking Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the groin, for which he received a technical foul for in a 76-73 loss, and being called out by Michigan coach Dusty May for “dangerous” plays in the first meeting between the two Big Ten rivals.

“I go out every game and I play hard. I don’t intentionally try to hurt anyone,” Fears said after Michigan State’s game at Minnesota back in February, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. “I go out and play every game like it’s my last, because at one point it was my last. So I don’t take a game for granted. I don’t take a moment for granted. So I’m going to go out there and play as hard as I can every possession, every game.

“Like at one point, I had basketball taken away from me, so something I love to do, I couldn’t do it for a whole year. So most people wouldn’t understand that. And that’s on them, I guess. At the end of the day, it doesn’t change who I am or what I do. I’m just go out there and play 150(%) no matter what.”

Are Jeremy Fears Jr and Jeremiah Fears related?

Yes, the Michigan State point guard is the brother of now New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears, who was a one-and-done at Oklahoma. Jeremiah Fears was drafted by the Pelicans with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Source link

Michigan

Battle of the bigs could be at center of Michigan-Saint Louis clash

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2026

Press Room

Battle of the bigs could be at center of Michigan-Saint Louis clash

Billikens coach Josh Schertz called the Wolverines the best team in the country.

Buffalo, N.Y. — It’s no secret that stretch bigs have given Michigan problems this season.

And it’s no secret that Saint Louis runs a five-out offense with one of the premier shooting big men in the country in Robbie Avila, who sports goggles and has an endless supply of color nicknames.

When push comes to shove in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round matchup at KeyBank Center, the battle between the centers could be at the center of determining who secures a spot in the Sweet 16.

“We’ve learned that against pick-and-pop bigs, if you allow a direct pass, they’re going to shoot about 25% to 30% better. If they make one or two, you need to be prepared to go to your contingency plans quicker than usual,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “We’ve played this defensive philosophy for several years, so we know what can beat it on a given night. We know what the holes in the defense are. But it’s just like everything else, there’s a give and take.

“We’ve got to be OK giving up what we’re going to give up. And if we feel like that’s not going to put us in a position to win, we’ve got to be adaptable enough to pivot and change it on the fly. But that’s kind of where each game is a little bit different. You take all this information and try to predict what’s going to happen, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

The 6-foot-10 Avila — who has monikers like “Cream Abdul-Jabbar,” “Larry Nerd” and “Milk Chamberlain” — has been a long-range threat throughout his college career, from his time at Indiana State to his two seasons at Saint Louis.

But he’s as dangerous as ever as a trailer and pick-and-pop option, knocking down a career-best 63 3-pointers at a career-high 41.7% clip. That, according to May, has added “a whole other element” to his game and certainly has Michigan’s attention.

It also creates defensive predicament for the Wolverines, with big man Aday Mara, the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year and top shot blocker, possibly being pulled away from the rim at times against a Saint Louis team that was cutting and getting to the rim at will in its 102-77 obliteration of Georgia in the first round.

“I think I can guard outside, too,” Mara said. “It’s going to be a tough matchup, because how talented he is, he can do everything. I just got to be ready for everything.

“I like the way he plays, because he reminds me a little bit of me. I think we have similar style of game. I like to see another big being able to create and pass the ball. It’s fun to watch him.”

Maybe not as fun to defend him, though. Forward Morez Johnson Jr. has experience with that, crossing paths with Avila as the two grew up in the same area in Illinois.

“I’ve been knowing Robbie forever. Robbie can pretty much do everything,” Johnson said. “But I think we’ve played a lot of good frontcourt players.”

Stretch bigs gave Michigan’s defense fits in both games against Wisconsin. In the first meeting, the Wolverines played the percentages and didn’t guard 6-10 forward Aleksas Bieliauskas out on the 3-point line. They ended up paying a price.

Bieliauskas, who entered that matchup shooting 29.6% from deep (8-for-27) and with one 3-pointer in the previous five games, burned Michigan with a season-high five 3-pointers. Combined with 6-11 forward Nolan Winter, a 30.2% 3-point shooter on the season at that point, the two made nine of Wisconsin’s 15 3-pointers in an upset and handed Michigan its only Big Ten loss during the regular season.

In the rematch between the teams in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, Wisconsin’s bigs once again were a thorn in Michigan’s side. Bieliauskas hit three 3-pointers, but this time it was 6-10 Austin Rapp who went nuclear. Rapp tied his career high with six 3s, all coming in the final 9:26 and many of those coming on drive and kicks.

There were several lessons to take from those experiences. May, for starters, said Michigan needs to do a better job of challenging passes, being prepared to rotate or switch depending on the game plan, and disrupting the opponent’s timing and rhythm.

Forward Yaxel Lendeborg cited giving Mara more help when he’s in off-ball defense and fanning out when he’s on ball to force the ball handler away from the middle of the court.

Forward Will Tschetter, Johnson and Mara all pointed to the importance of guarding the ball and not giving Saint Louis — a team that ranks in the top 10 in both 2-point shooting and 3-point shooting, with five players shooting at least 40% from 3-point range — any advantages on dribble drives.

“After you overhelp, there’s going to be players wide open for 3,” Mara said. “I think if we do a better one-on-one defense, that is not going to happen. I’m not going to need to maybe help the rim, so they’re not going to find those wide-open shooters. By doing that and being quicker when they get the ball to be there with one hand up, those things are very important.”

It all has the makings for an intriguing chess match between Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz and May, who are close friends that talk weekly and often share ideas.

Schertz called the Wolverines the best team in the country, with their elite talent, their ability to hurt teams in different ways on offense and their knack to make things hard for opponents defensively.

Michigan has a unique team with its frontcourt size across the board. Saint Louis is unique because its offense revolves around Avila rather than a traditional point guard.

The key question is who is going to guard Avila?

“Is it Mara, is it Johnson, is it Yax? Where do they put Mara?” Schertz said. “The thing with Robbie is he can find mismatches and he does a good job of triggering a layering offense. His ability to provide spacing, he’s obviously an incredible shooter and passer. He’ll be a focal point for us, regardless. He always is.

“I think (Avila’s) ability to provide horizontal spacing, take bigs away from the basket, opens up driving and cutting lanes, and we’ll need all of that. … We’ll need the best version of him and everybody else against Michigan.”

The same could be said for the Wolverines, who will need to be on top of their game defensively and find an answer to a problem they’ve struggled with at times.

“(Avila) is like the hub. Everything runs through him,” guard Nimari Burnett said. “At the same time, they all play well off each other. He’s a big part of what they do, and we look forward to the challenge.”