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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Michael O'Brien

2023 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year: Joliet West’s Jeremy Fears Jr.

Joliet West’s Jeremy Fears Jr. (11) drives the ball around Benet’s Nikola Abusara (23). (Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times)

High school basketball players love using the phrase “business trip” to demonstrate that Tuesday night’s 15-minute drive to the neighboring town is a somber, no-fun outing.

The point is clear. It isn’t just a ball game. It means more, dreams and futures are wrapped up in that short trip.

Joliet West’s Jeremy Fears Jr. spent some of the first few years of his life on an actual, grown-up basketball business trip. His father, Jeremy Fears Sr. played professionally in Europe after college. All three of his boys, Jeremy Sr., Jeremiah and Jamarri, were along on the adventure.

Basketball is a serious business with the Fears, it absorbed the young family’s early life together. Jeremiah, now the state’s top sophomore, took to it immediately.

That wasn’t the case for Fears Jr., the Sun-Times Player of the Year.

“Jeremy didn’t take basketball seriously,” Fears Sr. said. “In seventh grade I almost made him stop playing travel basketball. He just didn’t want to work. We were clashing. Jeremiah really wanted it, and Jeremy took it as a joke.”

There was a specific moment when everything changed. Fears Jr. was in eighth grade and the family went to watch Bloom vs. Morgan Park at the Team Rose Classic in 2018.

The gym was packed, it was an established city power against a young suburban team hungry for recognition. The game was fast and physical and like nothing the young eighth grader had ever seen. Fears Jr. turned to his father, said “oh my god” and everything changed.

“He locked in and we started going after it,” Fears Sr. said.

The work shows. Fears Jr., a McDonald’s All-American, plays with the ballhandling skill, grit and defensive determination reminiscent of Jalen Brunson and Patrick Beverley.

He can grab a basketball game by the neck and will his team to victory.

“When I was younger basketball was just something I was doing,” Fears Jr. said. “But it is at another level now. It’s something that I love. I love working out, watching film. Basketball just makes my day, it brightens it up.”

Fears started as a freshman point guard at Joliet West, spearheading a win against Simeon at the Pontiac Holiday Tournament. Then COVID hit before his sophomore season and he transferred to La Lumiere, a prep school in Indiana, when Illinois’ high school season was delayed.

Fears won a pair of gold medals with USA Basketball over the next two years and earned a top 20 ranking while building a national profile and committing to Michigan State.

In August he came home, transferring back to Joliet West. Fears wanted the chance to play with his brother and win a state title for his hometown. In a way, the two years in Indiana served as another basketball business trip. This time Fears Jr. did it on his own, without his father.

“The transition was smooth,” Tigers coach Jeremy Kreiger said. “It was like he never left. We still texted all the time and he had access to [our game film account] and he’d watch our film and tell me what he saw from the players. He was connected to the program without being here.”

Joliet West’s Jeremy Fears, Jr., left, dunks as his younger brother Jeremiah looks on. (Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times)

The Tigers have lived up to the lofty expectations, beating Young, St. Rita, Metamora and residing in the top five of the rankings all season.

Fears hit a game-winner to beat Rolling Meadows and Player of the Year contender Cameron Christie in early January. He scored 28 points and completely dominated the fourth quarter in the win against Young.

“He understands basketball at a cerebral level so his impact goes beyond scoring,” Kreiger said. “He knows that to play early in college it takes everything but scoring to get yourself on the floor.”

Fears was a unanimous selection for Player of the Year. His athleticism this season has been a surprise, even to his family. Fears was always a solid athlete, but he took things to another level recently.

“I didn’t think he would get to this point,” said Fears Sr. “I was hoping he would grow a couple inches, but now 6-2 is enough with the way he’s leaping.”

Fears is the second McDonald’s All-American from Joliet, following Providence’s Michael Thompson in 2002. He’s the first Sun-Times Player of the Year from Joliet.

The award started in 1960, so Joliet native George Mikan missed out. Walter Downing, who played at Providence and was born in Crest Hill, won the Sun-Times POY in 1981. Local greats Roger Powell Jr. and Gary Bell didn’t win the award.

Fears’ next goal is a state championship, something no Joliet team has accomplished since 1927.

There are no home games left for the Tigers, it is all road games—trips to Bolingbrook and then possibly Bloomington and Champaign. Business trips. Fears’ first major business trip, to Europe, was for his family. His second, to Indiana, was for himself. The trip to central Illinois next weekend would be for his school and his city.

“We aren’t looking too far ahead,” Fears Jr. said. “There is Oswego East [on Friday]. But of course I’ve thought about what state would be like and what it would mean to everyone.”

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

2022—Braden Huff, Glenbard West

2021—Max Christie, Rolling Meadows

2020—DJ Steward, Young

2019—DaJuan Gordon, Curie

2018—Talen Horton-Tucker, Simeon

2017—Alonzo Verge, Thornton

2016—Charlie Moore, Morgan Park

2015—Jalen Brunson, Stevenson

2014—Cliff Alexander, Curie

2013—Jahlil Okafor, Young

2012—Jabari Parker, Simeon

2011—Wayne Blackshear, Morgan Park

2010—Jereme Richmond, Waukegan

2009—Jereme Richmond, Waukegan

2008—Kevin Dillard, Homewood-Flossmoor

2007—Derrick Rose, Simeon

2006—Jon Scheyer, Glenbrook North

2005—DeAndre Thomas, Westinghouse

2004–Calvin Brock, Simeon

2003—Shannon Brown, Proviso East

2002—Sean Dockery, Julian

2001—Eddy Curry, Thornwood

2000—Cedrick Banks, Westinghouse

1999—Leon Smith, King

1998—Quentin Richardson, Young

1997—Melvin Ely, Thornton

1996—Ronnie Fields, Farragut

1995—Kevin Garnett, Farragut

1994—Jerry Gee, St. Martin de Porres

1993—Rashard Griffith, King

1992—Chris Collins, Glenbrook North

1991—Sherell Ford, Proviso East

1990—Jamie Brandon, King

1989—Deon Thomas, Simeon

1988—Eric Anderson, de Sales

1987—Marcus Liberty, King

1986—Nick Anderson, Simeon

1985—Michael Ingram, Proviso West

1984—Hersey Hawkins, Westinghouse

1983—Len Bertolini, St. Patrick

1982—Bernard Jackson, Phillips

1981—Walter Downing, Providence

1980—Glenn Rivers, Proviso East

1979—Isiah Thomas, St. Joseph

1978—Mark Aguirre, Westinghouse

1977—Eddie Johnson, Westinghouse

1976—Glen Grunwald, East Leyden

1975—Pete Boesen, Maine South

1974—Audie Matthews, Bloom

1973—Mark Vitali, St. Charles

1972—Quinn Buckner, Thornridge

1971—Quinn Buckner, Thornridge

1970—Lloyd Batts, Thornton

1969—Jim Brewer, Proviso East

1968—Jeff Hickman, Lockport

1967—Rick Howat, Downers Grove

1966—Rich Bradshaw, Marshall

1965—Terry Hurley, Steinmetz

1964—Eugene Ford, Crane

1963—Joe Allen, Carver

1962—Cazzie Russell, Carver

1961—Bob Caress, Thornton

1960—George Wilson, Marshall

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