Michigan State roster reset: All eyes on Jeremy Fears Jr.’s return

Tom Izzo is in wait-and-see mode for Michigan State basketball’s next roster. But on paper, it looks as though the Spartans will have one of his most well-rounded groups ever.

Izzo and others, including Andy Katz of the Big Ten Network, expect Jeremy Fears Jr. to return to MSU for his fourth season, even though the All-America point guard turned heads of scouts with his scrimmage performance at the NBA Scouting Combine on Wednesday, May 14. He posted 17 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals with one turnover after measuring in at at 6-foot, 196.2 pounds with a 6-4 wingspan.

Fears told Katz in Chicago that his decision would depend on the feedback he gets during the evaluation process this week.

“I believe I’m a first-round talent,” Fears said. “A lot of players that’s in the first round [of mock drafts], I’ve played against or probably seen throughout the college [season]. But that’s a big thing, if I think I can get a first-round spot, I would love it.

“My dream is to play professional and play in the NBA. That’s for sure a big dream. And if not, then I’ll go back to college and try to work my way up and get that.”

The deadline for Fears (as well as incoming transfer center Anton Bonke) to withdraw from the NBA Draft and retain their college eligibility is May 27. Assuming Fears does return, he will give the Spartans a top-10 lineup and potentially better than that for the 2026-27 season – and a chance to chase the elusive second national title that Izzo has long craved.

“I think we got a good group with everybody coming back and bringing in a transfer,” Fears told Katz. “Just overall, a great group of guys and being able to kind of build what was started last year.”

Here’s a look at where MSU’s roster stands now”

Point guard

Starter: Jeremy Fears Jr., redshirt junior

Backup: Carlos Medlock Jr., freshman

Shooting guard

Starter: Jordan Scott, sophomore

Backups: Kur Teng, junior; Jasiah Jervis, freshman

Wing

Starter: Coen Carr, senior

Reserves: Kaleb Glenn, redshirt sophomore; Scott

Forward

Starter: Glenn

Reserves: Cam Ward, sophomore; Carr; Jesse McCulloch, redshirt sophomore; Julius Avent, freshman

Center

Starter: Anton Bonke, senior

Reserves: McCulloch; Ward; Ethan Taylor, freshman

Analysis

Versatility will be a premium for Izzo, particularly in the frontcourt.

He’ll be able to mix and match based on opponents, with the ability to move Carr around on the wing and power forward as MSU has done at times the past two seasons. The same goes for 6-foot-7 Glenn, who missed last season after suffering a June knee injury after spending his first two seasons at Florida Atlantic and Louisville.

Finding that right blend between the 2, 3 and 4 positions will be Izzo’s mission during summer workouts. Scott, who emerged as a starter midway through his freshman season, needs to find more consistency in his outside shooting and ball-handling to stay at shooting guard. But as he fills out his 6-8 frame, that could allow him to play more on the wing with Carr at power forward for an athletic lineup – particularly if Teng can build on his late-season 3-point shooting performance and improved defense.

Jervis will be the wild card and push all of them at shooting guard. The 6-4 incoming freshman and McDonald’s All-American took part in the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team training camp earlier this month and was the New York Gatorade Player of the Year. And Avent, with his ability to defend multiple positions, also arrives with a chance to carve out a niche early in his career.

The addition of the hulking 7-2, 270-pound Bonke from Charlotte (via Providence and junior college) gives Izzo the low-block size he’s rarely had, and combining him with the outside shooting potential of 6-11 McCulloch at power forward would give the Spartans a chance to put one of Izzo’s biggest lineups ever on the floor. And after a wrist injury slowed his fast start as a freshman, 6-9 Ward has star potential for a breakout second season as a flexible option at both post positions – a transition demon in an undersized lineup at center or a bull-in-a-china-shop rebounder at the 4. Taylor, the highest-rated incoming freshman recruit based on pure potential, can take his time for much-needed development of his raw skills thanks to the veteran depth in front of him.

But this group will go as far as Fears can carry it, assuming he comes back and doesn’t emerge from the combine like Jase Richardson a year ago. Izzo long has likened Fears to Mateen Cleaves, who also flirted with the NBA after his All-America junior season in 1999. The addition of Medlock will give Fears the traditional backup he lacked last season, particularly after the injury to Divine Ugochukwu. Ugochukwu’s departure to LSU via the portal will give Medlock the spare keys to the car.

But the primary driver will be Fears, if he does not turn pro. And his goal as a returning captain, along with Carr, will be to turn all those versatile pieces into a cohesive unit and get Izzo and MSU back to another Final Four in Detroit.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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