Team Faygo and Michigan State's Divine Ugochukwu moves the ball against Team Motorcars during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at Holt High School. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How MSU's Fears is Guiding Transfer Ugochukwu

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 6:04 PM ET

Each position on Michigan State basketball's roster has at least one veteran and one up-and-comer.

That makes for a perfect recipe for present and future, and that's going to be crucial for a program that looks to navigate the resurgence it has found while in a Big Ten conference that's the toughest it's been in recent memory.

At the point guard position, the most important on the court, the Spartans have a true, pure floor general in Jeremy Fears Jr., who proved to be the perfect fit at the position last season.

Behind him is Divine Ugochukwu, the young transfer from Miami (FL), who gained valuable position in South Beach in what was his first collegiate season.

Fears, who has been a leader for this program since he joined, has already been guiding Ugochukwu early on, which should greatly benefit the young point guard this coming season and down the road.

Fears spoke on the transfer at the Moneyball Pro-Am last week.

"Divine pretty cool. He's all right, I guess," Fears said jokingly as Ugochukwu coincidentally walked behind him. "But no, this is my guy. Just bringing him in, I know how it is. This school has a great history of point guards. And just trying to acclimate him, tell him the way. I've been through it for three years, so I kind of know a little bit more, And just trying to help him do the things that I didn't do right."

Ugochukwu averaged 5.3 points per game and 2.3 assists while averaging more than 20 minutes in his freshman season.

"Me and Jeremy -- he's a really cool guy, a real fun guy, a real high-energy, high guy," Ugochukwu said at Moneyball last month, "so we really compete at practice, and it's good."

If there's one spot on this team that's a sure thing, it's Fears' role as the starting point guard. For Ugochukwu, it's about making sure he carries on the veteran's production when he comes in

"Just being able just to compete with Jeremy each and every day, getting each other better at practice," Ugochukwu said, "and then, coming into the game and doing my role and just filling it up or even turning it up a notch from wherever Jeremy left off at."

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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