MSU's Fears Was Working Late, Has Eyes Set on Banner

Fears and the Spartans had fallen just short of adding another one of those banners last season when they were bested by the No. 1 overall seed, Auburn, in the Elite Eight.

It was a run nobody saw coming early on, especially after Michigan State had been unranked going into the season. But the Spartans would win the Big Ten by three games and earn themselves a 2-seed, which gave them an admirable path to the South Regional Final.

While the expectations will be higher for Michigan State than they were going into last season, the Spartans, on paper, don't have as talented of a squad going into next season. Meanwhile, other conference contenders only got better.

But where there's a will, there's a way. And Fears certainly has a will.

When you taste success, you want more. That goes for anything in life, but especially for an athlete.

Everyone from last season's roster wants to get back to where they ended last season. And it's evident.

"They're definitely on a mission," freshman forward Jordan Scott said when he addressed reporters at the Moneyball Pro-Am last week. "And you can just tell, just the vibes in the weight room, locker room, everything on the court, they're determined to get back there and get further than last year, and they believe that we have a team that can do that."

Fears now has a full season under his belt and is expected to take another leap after proving to be the point guard this program needed.

He's putting in extra work in July. And that's the work that pays off in March.

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