Jeremiah Fears is the next great Oklahoma point guard to lead the Sooners to the Big Dance

Trae Young, Mookie Blaylock, Brent Price. Those are just a few of the top true point guards to don a Crimson and Cream uniform throughout the years for the Oklahoma men’s basketball program. This year, you can probably add Jeremiah Fears to that list, as the 6-foot-4 freshman has made a splash early on in the 2024-25 college basketball season.

A lot of times it might take a highly touted five-star prospect a bit to adjust to the high-major college level, especially when that freshman is only 17 years old. He technically should be playing in high school still, but Fears has wasted no time in making an impression for the Porter Moser-led squad.

Much like Young did in the 2017-18 season, Fears has surprisingly exceeded expectations from the jump and has shown poise and confidence leading the team at the point guard position. Fears has possessed an alpha mentality on the court and through nine games played is averaging 16.7 ppg, 4.7 apg and is shooting an efficient 46.9% from the floor. Additionally, Fears is also making the most of his trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 48-of-55 attempts for 87%.

Fears hasn’t just performed well offensively, but has shown a willingness and commitment to defend, racking up 2.6 steals per game. It’s clear that he has bought into Moser’s system thus far, and if there has been one thing lacking in Moser’s first three seasons as the Sooners’ head coach, it’s been consistent play from the point guard position.

If Moser is to take Oklahoma to its first NCAA Tournament appearance, then the play of Fears will be a vital step in the right direction. Last year’s squad would go into offensive droughts and lacked a playmaker to get them in the right flow offensively to snap out of it, but if Fears can get others involved and still drive aggressively to the hoop regularly, then Sooner fans should have some optimism as they head into the daunting task of the SEC season.

After all, the SEC is not only just a football league, but it is stacking up to have the deepest league in the nation on the hardwood, and the Sooners may just have the right guy to keep them competitive through the gauntlet.

With the disappointing football season, Sooner Nation deserves a winning product during the winter months, and while the Oklahoma women’s basketball squad has Raegan Beers, the men have a star in Fears to lead them dancing in March.