Reception planned Sunday for Joliet West basketball player Jeremy Fears Jr.

Schikae Adams of Joliet has faithfully attended Joliet West High School basketball games this year, even though she has no children in high school.

A friend invited Adams to come see Jeremy Fears Jr. in action, she said, and Adams is glad she did.

“He was amazing,” Adams said. “They called him the ‘floor general’ and I completely understand why. He’s like a coach on the floor. You have to see him in motion. He coaches everyone as he’s playing the game.”

So when Adams learned Jeremy Fears Jr. made the 2023 McDonald’s All American Games and no send-off celebration was in the works – Fears will play March 28 at the Toyota Center in Texas – Adams stepped up to host one through her nonprofit, Guiding a New Generation.

The “Jeremy Fears McDonald’s All American 2023 Sendoff” will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at The Salvation Army, Joliet Corps Community Center, 300 Third Ave. in Joliet.

Refreshments will be served at this free meet-and-greet, Adams said. Registration is required at eventbrite.com.

Making Joliet West basketball history

Jeremy Kreiger, head varsity boys basketball coach at Joliet West, who played basketball with Jeremy Fears Sr. in the early 2000s, said this is the first time, to his knowledge, that a District 204 student has earned McDonald’s All American status.

It’s also the first time since the 2001-02 school year that a student from the Joliet area earned the honor, Kreiger said. But that isn’t all Fears has accomplished.

He also won a gold medal as part of the USA Basketball’s U17 national team roster for the FIBA U17 World Cup in Spain during the summer of 2022, Kreiger said.

Jeremy Fears Jr. was also part of the USA Basketball’s U17 national team roster in 2021 and the FIBA U17 World Cup in Mexico during the summer of 2021, for which Fears also won a gold medal, Kreiger said.

Kreiger said that, to his common knowledge, District 204 has never had a gold medal winner for the national team and winning twice back-to-back is “unheard of.”

He praised Fears’s maturity, humble nature, and the fact he is a student first with a consistent 3.0 average and an athlete second.

“It’s unusual to see someone so accomplished at the age of 17,” Kreiger said.

Steve Millsaps, Joliet West athletic director, said Adams wasn’t the only person in the wider community who attended Joliet West basketball games because of Fears.

“He’s a phenomenal young man,” Millsaps said. “Obviously, he’s a great basketball player. But he’s an even better human being.”

Millsaps explained why making the McDonald’s All American team is so esteemed.

“We’re talking about 24, 25 players in the whole country,” Millsaps said. “And in our area, we’ve only ever had one or two others. In terms of the prestigiousness of this, it’s very hard to become an All-American. When the news dropped, it was unbelievable.”

“He’s a phenomenal young man. Obviously he’s a great basketball player. But he’s an even better human being.”

—  Steve Millsaps, Joliet West High School athletic director

Millsaps said Jeremy Fears Jr. played basketball as a freshman at Joliet West and then played basketball at La Lumiere, a private college preparatory in Indiana, for his sophomore and junior year.

He said Fears returned to Joliet West his senior year to play basketball with his younger brother Jeremiah Fears, a sophomore.

Millsaps said Jeremy Fears Jr. easily reintegrated himself into the Joliet West community and demonstrated fine leadership abilities.

“His work ethic and dedication to the sport of basketball is second to none,” Millsaps said. “The sky’s the limit for Jeremy Fears Jr.”

A solid foundation for success

Jeremy Fears Sr. laid the foundation for the success of his son. Jeremy Fears Jr. said he spent his childhood playing basketball, sometimes moving from house to house, hoop to hoop, all day long on a Saturday.

During almost the first decade of Jeremy and Jeremiah’s childhood, their dad played basketball internationally and his family traveled with them.

As young children, Jeremy and Jeremiah played on youth basketball teams in Greece and Austria, Jeremy Fears Sr. said. Both boys understood and spoke German and Jeremiah was quite fluent in the language, he said.

Jeremiah was also more excited about basketball at the time, his dad said. Jeremy found his passion for the sport around eighth grade, according to his dad.

And he’s taking all of his accomplishments in stride, Jeremy Fears Sr. said.

[ Joliet West’s Jeremy Fears Jr. signs with Michigan State ]

“He’s laid-back; Jeremy’s real laid-back,” Fears Sr. said. “I’m sure he’s enjoying it. But he’s definitely humble for sure.”

Sekia Fears, the younger Jeremy’s mother, said she’s proud of her son for his persistence in following his dream and for deciding to return to Joliet West for his senior year. She’s awed and humbled at the community’s support for Jeremy and also for Jeremiah.

“Everything was just unmatched,” Sekia Fears said. “And every game was emotional ... and now his city has decided to celebrate him.”

Jeremy and Jeremiah also have a younger brother Jamarri, 13, and a younger sister Skylar, 3.

A game for life

Jeremy Fears Jr. said he’s greatly appreciated every part of his journey, which has prepared him for life, too. For instance, he’s learned to balance academics and sports by making precious use of school hours to complete his studies.

“It [basketball] is a very rough, up and down sport,” he said. “It has a lot of good and bad overall, not just in basketball but in life, too. In everything, you have to find a way to prevail. It all goes back to, ‘You can’t stop now.’ You have to fight through adversity.”

If you go:

WHAT: Jeremy Fears McDonald’s All American 2023 Sendoff

WHEN: 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: The Salvation Army Joliet Corps Community Center, 300 Third Ave. in Joliet.

RSVP: Register by Thursday for this free event at eventbrite.com.