Michigan State men’s basketball player Jeremy Fears Jr. was discharged from the hospital just in time for Christmas after being shot in the left thigh over the weekend, his father, Jeremy Fears Sr., said Sunday on social media. Fears underwent a three-hour surgery after the shooting, which occurred near Fears’ hometown of Joliet, Illinois, in the early morning hours Saturday morning. Michigan State on Saturday in a statement said that his injuries are not life-threatening.
“Jeremy underwent surgery [Saturday] morning and is resting comfortably,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said in the statement. “While there is much we still don’t know, my focus is supporting Jeremy on his road to recovery.”
Joliet Police told the Chicago Sun-Times that officers responded to a call Saturday morning and learned that two people — an 18-year-old male and a 19-year-old female — inside a home had been shot. The police department’s preliminary investigation determined that both victims were inside the home when a male suspect armed with a handgun is believed to have entered the residence through the front door and began firing.
“There were 20 or 25 people there just having a good time,” Jeremy Fears Sr. told the Sun-Times. “There were seven or eight people left cleaning and stuff and someone opened the door in all black and a ski mask and started shooting.”
Fears Sr. also said the bullet that struck his son got stuck in the bone in his left thigh, narrowly missing an artery. He is expected to be sidelined 6-8 weeks, his father said.
Fears, a former four-star recruit, is in his freshman season with the Spartans. Fears has appeared in 12 games and is averaging 3.5 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game. In Michigan State’s 99-55 win over Stony Brook on Thursday, Fears notched one point and 10 assists.
Coming out of Joliet West High School, Fears was the No. 32 player and No. 7 point guard nationally, according to the 247Sports rankings. Fears chose the Spartans over scholarship offers from other major programs like Illinois, Creighton, Gonzaga, and many others.