HOLT — The Michigan State basketball team had to put a lot on Jeremy Fears Jr. last season.
There was a noticeable dropoff when the Spartans’ Second Team All-America point guard wasn’t on the floor. And when backup point guard Divine Ugochukwu suffered a season-ending foot injury in February, MSU’s reliance on Fears was even more pronounced.
Fears averaged nearly 33 minutes per game and late in the season, with only grad transfer Denham Wojcik available to spell him for short periods, those minutes climbed even higher. Fears held up well for the most part, but the heavy workload took its toll.
It’s why incoming freshman Carlos Medlock Jr. is such as important part of MSU’s plans this winter.
With Ugochukwu and Wojcik both gone, the Spartans will need a more reliable and productive option to run the show while Fears rests. Medlock, who along with the other Spartans is playing in the Moneyball Pro-Am at Holt High School this summer, believes he can fill that role.
“I can be a facilitator for my team, but I can also score, see what’s going on and create my own shot,” Medlock said during Moneyball action on Tuesday, July 7. “I’ll have to learn to balance it out here, and coming off the bench to lead the team and play with them, on and off the ball, and be that help that we needed last season.”
Medlock isn’t expected to just be a serviceable Fears backup. He was a four-star, top-50 recruit who is a key part of MSU’s highly anticipated 2026 class that includes other top 50 players in Jasiah Jervis and Ethan Taylor, along with another four-star prospect in Julius Avent.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder played this past season, along with Taylor, at Link Academy Prep School in Branson, Missouri, averaging 21.1 points, 2.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. Before transferring to Link, Medlock was the driving force in leading Wayne Memorial High School to its first-ever MHSAA state title game in 2025.
Medlock had 22 points in his Moneyball Pro-Am debut on June 23, dueling down to the wire with Jervis in the opening game. He was paired with Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke and delivered a handful of assists on lobs to the big man as well.
Medlock was even more impressive in his second showing on July 7, albeit in a loss to senior Coen Carr’s Team TriStar. Medlock poured in 36 points, knocking down six 3-pointers while continuing to show the large MSU fan contingent his array of athleticism and ability to free himself for shots off the dribble.
Medlock is expected to eventually be a star for the Spartans, but that’s down the road. First he needs to adjust to major-college basketball. And Fears is helping in that transition.
“It takes time. It’s a process, and he is here to grow and keep getting better,” Fears said. “I’m bringing him in, we’re working out together every morning, just trying to get that consistent foundation in for him. And whenever my time is up here, hopefully, he’s the next to lead us in great hands. He’s ready to play as a freshman now. He can play at this level and he’ll be helping us win games later on.”
MSU coach Tom Izzo has long been known for his tradition of developing elite college point guards. And while Medlock will be Fears’ understudy this season, he’ll still have a sizeable role as his backup in what will be an extremely competitive Big Ten.
“It’s great to have (Fears) back, and just learning from his legacy being at Michigan State is big for me,” Medlock said. “He’s going to give me the keys for how to be a point guard under Coach Izzo, and how to be a leader and captain of this team. I know that will be my role when he leaves, so just keep picking up after him and getting a feel for how this season is going to be.”
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Freshman Carlos Medlock gives MSU capable backup at point to Jeremy Fears
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