December 23, 2024
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Boys basketball: Joliet West standout Jeremiah Fears transfers to prep school in Kansas

Sophomore among top college recruits in Class of 2025

By Steve Soucie
Joliet West's Jeremiah Fears drives to the basket against Oswego East during the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional Championship on Friday, March. 03, 2023, at Bolingbrook.

Joliet West's Jeremiah Fears drives to the basket against Oswego East during the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional Championship in March. Fears will transfer to Sunrise Christian in Kansas for his junior season. (Dean Reid for Shaw Local News Network/Dean Reid)

Joliet West sophomore Jeremiah Fears is transferring to Sunrise Christian, an elite prep school in Kansas, for his junior season.

The standout guard announced his decision on social media on Friday.

Fears, a first team Herald-News All-Area pick, averaged 16.3 points per game last season and established himself as a lockdown defender for the Tigers, who advanced to a Class 4A sectional title last game before falling to Oswego East.

Sunrise Christian, located in Bel Aire, Kansas, is a part of the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (NIBC), which plays a nationwide schedule and makes frequent appearances on ESPN. Sunrise Christian played no in-state opponents and played just six home games while facing other teams of national prominence such as Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) and Montverde (Florida) on a regular basis while going 21-9.

Joliet West head coach Jeremy Kreiger talks with Jeremiah Fears and his brother Jeremy Fears Jr. during a free throw by Romeoville in the Class 4A Joliet West Regional championship on Friday, February 23rd, 2023. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)

Fears has drawn considerable college interest and was widely considered the top college prospect in the state of Illinois for the Class of 2025. Fears most recent college offer came from Arizona. Georgia, Cincinnati and Arizona State have extended offers within the past few weeks. Previously, Fears had also received offers from Big Ten programs such as Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State.

Michigan State has already secured the services of Fears brother, Jeremy Fears Jr. The Spartan-bound point guard also transferred to a prep school in his junior year, La Lumiere Prep in Indiana, for his junior season before returning this past season to Joliet West for his senior campaign, in part to join Jeremiah on the same court for his high final school season. La Lumiere is also a member of the NIBC.

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