Chris Bowden and Rick Tarsitano
2 hours ago
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Team USA has been crowned champions once again, winning the FIBA Men’s U-18 Americas Cup with a perfect 6-0 record.
The United States defeated host Argentina in the final on Sunday to bring home the gold medal from Buenos Aires.
But the two high school stars from the Chicago area played key roles as expected when they reunited in Champaign.
Morez Johnson Jr. finished his high school career by being named Illinois Mr. Basketball after transferring from St. Rita to Thornton, where he averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds per game.
Jeremiah Fears played at Joliet West as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Arizona for his junior year.
And just like Jeremiah’s older brother Jeremy did before enrolling at Michigan State, both have moved on from Chicago to an even bigger stage: their home states.
“It’s just an honor and a blessing,” Johnson explained. “When I saw that Fears was on the U.S. team, I thought, ‘I want to win a gold medal too. I want to win it. That would be awesome.'”
“Plus, it’s great to represent your country by going out and winning.”
“Those are some of the goals I’ve written down. I wrote down making the U.S. National Team and making the NBA,” Fiers said. “Right now I’m just blessed to have accomplished one of them and hopefully make it to the NBA.”
International attention has not been much brighter for either.
Morez had 15 and 19 rebounds, while Jeremiah had 17 points, six assists and seven steals in a blowout win over Belize and 12 points and six rebounds in the semifinal win over Canada.
With both committed to the University of Illinois, their time as teammates is just beginning, although Morez will have to wait a year for Jeremiah to arrive in Champaign.
“It’s been a great experience,” Fears said, “Just building chemistry so that when I get there, we’ll have a really good bond.”
“We’re all working together right now,” Johnson added. “It’s going to be awesome to be on the court and compete against Illinois.”
Attracted by Brad Underwood and his program, the two decided to stay local and play key roles in leading the team to the same kind of success they enjoyed together, making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
“Tommy Lloyd, the head coach at Arizona, is our head coach here, so he’s going to get us practicing at the college level,” Johnson explained. “I’m sure I’ll be able to practice with Coach Brad and come out here ready to go.”
“I just love everything about it,” Fiers said. “The coaches are great. The facilities are amazing. It’s just like family. From the first time I stepped on campus, I felt like I was at home. I talked it over with my family and I felt like it was the perfect fit for me.”
The local duo are hoping to inspire the same fear in their opponents when they wear navy and orange uniforms as they did when they donned the red, white and blue.
