Move over, Draymond Green: Jeremy Fears Jr. is the kick king now.
Fears, Michigan State basketball’s standout redshirt sophomore point guard, committed a dead-ball-foul kick to the groin area of Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau at 14:24 of the first half in the Michigan State-Michigan basketball game between top-10 teams Sunday at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
“It’s an unnatural movement,” referee expert Gene Steratore said on CBS as referees reviewed the play, originally ruled a defensive foul on Cadeau.
“I don’t even think you have a choice,” CBS play-by-play voice Ian Eagle said after the technical was announced. “It’s evident.”
Yaxel Lendeborg went to the foul line and made both technical free throws to give Michigan a 12-7 lead on a 9-0 run.
MSU coach Tom Izzo was interviewed on the court during a timeout, about 25 minutes of real time after the incident, with more than 6 minutes to play in the half. Here’s what Izzo told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson.
“Y’know what, it’s all cause of what happened earlier and now every microscope’s on him,” Izzo said. “I don’t like that, OK, but I told him, I don’t even want him breathin’ wrong. But the fouls is what’s killing us, the fouls and the offensive boards, other than that, I thought we’re playing pretty good.”
No. 3 Michigan led No. 8 Michigan State, 42-41, at halftime, and went onto win, 90-80.
It’s just the latest bizarre kicking incident for Fears this season.
Jeremy Fears kicking incidents
Jan. 30: It all started during the first Michigan-Michigan State rivalry game. Then, on Feb. 2, Michigan basketball coach Dusty May took aim at Fears for plays in the game that May deemed as dirty, including one where Fears appeared to trip Lendeborg.
Izzo took offense to the comments, saying May should call him if he has an issue.
“There were some things that Jeremy did, I addressed him on it,” Izzo said.
Feb. 4: Fears was issued a technical foul for kicking a Minnesota player’s groin.
Feb. 7: Fears made a questionable movement with his foot that caused an Illinois player to trip. No action was taken against Fears after a review.
“I go out every game and I play hard,” Fears said after the 76-73 loss to Minnesota. “I don’t intentionally try to hurt anyone. 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.”
Fears was a gunshot victim during his freshman year in December 2023, shot in the leg in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois. He missed the rest of the season, but was granted a redshirt.
Fears entered Sunday averaging 15.3 points and an NCAA-best 9.1 assists per game this season for No. 8 MSU, which finished the regular season tied for second in the conference at 25-6 overall and 15-5 in the Big Ten.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jeremy Fears Jr. gets another tech for kick to Elliot Cadeau’s groin
Reporting by Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
