"Living in the gym": Jeremiah Fears on staying ready for 2025 NBA draft, following in Trae Young's footsteps and more (Exclusive)
Jeremiah Fears glanced at the shot clock, catching the ball deep on the left wing. At this point, Oklahoma Sooners held an early lead against a ranked Arizona team in the Bahamas. With precious time ticking away, Fears stepped hard to his left, rose off one leg, and banked in a 25-foot floater to extend the lead.
“There was really no shot I could have shot unless I faded back,” Fears told Sportskeeda. “But I’d rather get a shot going forward or going to the rim so that my team could possibly tip it in if I missed.”
Fears would lead his squad to an upset victory over the Wildcats and an eventual Battle 4 Atlantis championship. The same flair and verve that radiates from the floater triple encapsulates Fears’ start to the season. His Sooners sit at 9-0 with four wins over power conference opponents.
“[I’m] living in the gym, trying to go to the gym three to four times a day,” Fears said. “I try to watch a lot of film with the coaches just seeing where I can get better and the team can get better.”
Jeremiah Fears got on the last call for reclassification
Hours spent honing his craft have paid dividends for Fears early in his career. He’s one of the country’s most electric freshmen, averaging 16.7 points and 4.7 assists per game on a strong 60.4% true shooting percentage. Among all freshmen, Fears places fourth in assists per game and sixth in points per game.
Most college freshmen spend their summers preparing exclusively for the upcoming season, Fears, however, spent it playing on the Nike EYBL circuit. A late reclassification to the high school class of 2024, Fears finished his final AAU game on July 19th, just 108 days before his first college game.
“It definitely is a lot mentally [and] physically,” Fears said of the sudden transition to college hoops. “Me and my coaching staff and teammates are trying to work through it every day and constantly motivating each other.”
Fears is working to adjust to the quicker tempo of the college game as compared to high school ball. He and his teammates work tirelessly to sharpen their play, remaining poised in the thick of an intense game.
“The pace of the game in college from high school is very different,” Fears told Sportskeeda. “In college, we push the ball…you don’t want to set up your plays late in the shot clock because most of the time when something like that happens, you don’t often get a good shot.”
Most 18-year-olds don’t think the game like Fears does. He’s been doing this for years — Fears knew college basketball, and eventually the NBA, was in his grasp by the second grade. By his inaugural college season, Fears commands the ball more like a vet than a teenager.
“I grew up playing a year or two up, so I had to get used to playing with the ball in my hands playing these older guys.”
On the heels of Trae Young and Micheal Beasley
Sooners head coach Porter Moser asks Fears to carry significant offensive responsibility as one of his team’s primary ballhandlers. Years of grinding against older and stronger athletes prepared Fears to handle a 33.1% usage rate, the highest of any power conference player in the country. Since 2008, the only drafted freshmen to eclipse Fears’ current usage rate were Michael Beasley in ‘08 (33.4%) and fellow Sooner Trae Young in 2018 (38.4%.)
“I think [playing up] helped with my decision-making and just making the right reads 90% of the time,” Fears said. “I think it’s been going great so far.”
A cerebral passer, Fears blends his excellent speed and burst with a playmaking feel to create great shots for his teammates. He’s placed strong emphasis on passing, especially out of his drives — nearly 70% of his assists result in 3-pointers, according to Synergy.
“Our coach tries to make a huge emphasis on paint touch threes, so when the guards get in, we try to spray it out.”
Fears notes that defenses tend to collapse hard on his drives, creating open looks at three. He’s attempting a staggering 46.9% of his shots at the rim at a 63% clip, so it’s understandable why defenses sell out to neutralize his driving force.
“In college basketball nowadays, a lot of teams limit the twos because it’s a very high percentage shot, so…they try to give up threes,” Fears said. “We have a very good 3-point shooting team so when teams do something like that, it kind of works in our favor and our advantage.”
The Sooners have connected on 36.5% of their triples as a team, aided by kick-out and skip passes from Fears and his backcourt mates. He’s constantly pushing himself to improve, stretching the boundaries of his abilities.
Jeremiah Fears says the game-winner in Bahamas wasn't a surprise
That extends to the aforementioned runner 3-ball that he sank against Arizona. For Fears, that shot wasn’t a one-off. Some coaches may scoff at such an audacious attempt, but Moser wasn’t disappointed with the try, especially with Fears considering its utility rather than firing away haphazardly.
“I practiced it with my coach at prep school (AZ Compass) and then I kind of carried it over to college,” Fears said. “I think it’s most useful with the shot clock winding down. Your momentum is going forward…it’s a 50-50 chance you can make it or if not, your team can always come tip it in or tip it back out and potentially get your guys another possession on offense.”
That trip to the Bahamas brought more than a memorable highlight and a tournament victory. Fears and his teammates deepened their bonds, believing in the value of the chemistry and confidence they gained.
The on-court success translates to the defensive end — Fears averages a robust 3 steals per game, good for a 5.3% steal rate, the second highest of any freshman so far this season. Fears credits his instincts and hours in the film room for that success, as well as his coaching staff and scout team.
“[It’s] just knowing where the defense is going to go, because a lot of times the defense kind of gives it away with their eyes and their body movement, “ Fears said. “Watching film, you can tell which plays are coming or which action is about to come…I just want to win at all costs.”
Fears knows he’s far from a perfect basketball player. He’s turning the ball over 4 times per game and hasn’t made his shots at an excellent clip. Those improvements should come naturally as Fears matures, but he believes his growth as a leader will be paramount for his eventual NBA success.
“Most of the time a lot of guys are going to be older than me, so [I] try to continue to be a vocal point guard,” Fears said. “Just listen to the advice [others] give you as well. You don’t always have to be the one giving out the advice.”
When Fears was young, he scribbled down his goals for the future on a notepad. Years later, Fears is reminded of those goals every time he picks up his phone and stares at the lock screen where they live in perpetuity.
He centers his focus around three goals: making (and potentially winning) the NCAA tournament as a freshman, winning freshman of the year and eventually making the leap to the NBA.
Despite Fears’ hunger to play in the league, he’s not paying much attention to how NBA scouts feel about him yet.
“It’s not something I’m considering or looking forward to much right now,” Fears said of his status as a pro prospect. “I’m just taking the process day by day, enjoying every moment and trying to live in the moment.”
Regardless of where Fears directs his attention, NBA scouts and draft media have recognized his success and view him as a legitimate prospect. Fears landed at 17th in Jonathan Wasserman’s recent Bleacher Report mock for the 2025 draft. As Wasserman notes, scouts will continue to view Fears as a serious prospect if he can continue this level of play against SEC opponents.
Whether it’s his approach to leadership or life itself, Fears has consciously emphasized presence and positivity.
“No one wants to hear a leader that’s always yelling at them or consistently trying to bring them down, so I just continue to try to be positive.”
Fears will continue existing in the current moment, reminding himself of his goals, one floater 3-ball at a time. As it currently stands, Fears is on track to leave after one year of college and finally play in the league as he’s always dreamed of.
Maybe then he’ll search for a new photo for his cell phone lock screen.