Trae Young gives heartfelt shout-out to Jeremiah Fears after result-altering 4-point play in clutch 

Oklahoma Sooners freshman combo guard Jeremiah Fears came up big during Wednesday's 87-86 Jumpman Invitational victory over the Michigan Wolverines in Charlotte, North Carolina. His game-deciding four-point play earned him a heartfelt shout-out from a prominent Sooners alumnus, Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young.

After trailing by as many as 11 second-half points, No. 14 Oklahoma rallied in the closing minutes. Trailing 86-83 with 11.5 seconds remaining, Fears came off a screen and drained a deep 3-pointer through contact.

The clutch triple and the ensuing foul shot gave the Sooners an 87-86 advantage, with No. 24 Michigan unable to connect on the other end.

Fears finished with a career-high 30 points, three rebounds, four assists and three triples, shooting 8-for-12 (66.7%) and 11-for-13 at the free-throw line (84.6%). Meanwhile, his squad narrowly remained undefeated (11-0).

Afterward, Young, who won Big 12 Freshman of the Year during his lone season at Oklahoma (2017-18), commended Fears on X/Twitter. The three-time NBA All-Star noted that Fears will soon become a household name amid his strong start to his freshman campaign.

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"Y'all gonna know my young killa's name!" Young wrote. "JEREMIAH FEARS!!"

Over his first 10 outings, Fears averaged 16.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.1 3-pointers per game, shooting 47.7%.

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Jeremiah Fears ascending NBA draft boards amid impressive freshman season

Jeremiah Fears' standout production has caught NBA draft experts' eyes, as the freshman continues to scale 2025 draft boards.

Following Fears' career night on Wednesday, B/R Hoops noted on X that he "has established himself as a first-round pick."

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked Fears No. 12 in his latest 2025 mock draft, highlighting his remarkable speed and athleticism as an offensive creator.

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"Jeremiah Fears continues to pop off the screen with his violent change of direction, speed and burst attacking the rim," Wasserman wrote. "NBA teams should already see a sure-fire advantage creator in the open floor or point of attack in the half court."

Wasserman added that Fears still has plenty of room for improvement.

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"The offensive decision-making and shot-making execution do need work, but he's one of the country's youngest players (turned 18 in October), and he's still delivered promising flashes of pull-up shooting, touch and passing reads," Wasserman wrote.

If Fears' offensive development continues, Trae Young's prediction about him gaining widespread notoriety should prove accurate.

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