Analyzing Jeremiah Fears, Tre Johnson, and Jalon Moore in the Texas-Oklahoma Game
January 16th, 2025
By Alan Lu
Yesterday, I took the time to watch Tre Johnson and the Texas Longhorns square off against Jeremiah Fears and the Oklahoma Sooners in a highly anticipated SEC college basketball matchup. Texas got off to a strong start, and they had solid performances from numerous players, which helped them secure a big road win over Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s freshman point guard, Jeremiah Fears scored 20 points, and had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, but also committed 6 turnovers in his team’s 77-73 loss to Texas last night. Also, Jordan Pope scored 27 points and made 3 threes to help Texas get the win.
(Photo: Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman)
Jeremiah Fears is an agile, skilled playmaker that had a fairly solid showing in his team’s loss to Texas. He showed a knack for scoring the basketball, showed off truly impressive handles as well as promising court vision, and made some solid defensive plays, but he also was quite turnover prone in this game.
Fears showed a solid ability to score off the dribble. He is a quick, shifty guard that can use a variety of ball-handling moves, as he has a nifty behind-the-back dribble and a hesitation move that can enable him to get past defenders and glide in to score on layups. He showed a better than advertised first step to the hoop, as he generally excelled at scoring on drives in transition, but sometimes he would take tough, contested shots in traffic that would lead to misses. Also, he showed a decent ability to knock down outside shots, and Fears was able to dribble back to make an open pull-up three.
(Source: X/@tmetcalf11, via Tyler Metcalf of No Ceilings)
In this game, Fears looked to be fairly average as a playmaker on offense. For the positives, Fears is a gifted ball handler that has a tight dribble, and he might just be the best ball handler in this draft. He also can make quick and timely passes off the dribble, and he also can find teammates on the move to set up scoring chances for them. On the downside, he was quite turnover prone. He would tend to over-dribble, which would lead to ball-handling turnovers. Other times, he would make hasty, ill-advised passes that would end up getting intercepted.
He also did a good job of rebounding the basketball. Fears also defended well. He would get his hands on passes and poke balls away to get steals and deflections, and he was also active in contesting shots. On the downside, sometimes his lack of size would make it tough to guard taller or stronger opponents, which would lead him to allow opponents to score on outside shots.
In general, Jeremiah Fears is an athletic, skilled point guard that has a solid set of offensive skills, and he is an exceptional ball handler whose skill set could enable him to go in the late lottery of the 2025 draft. He’ll still need to be a more consistent shooter and cut down on his turnovers, but he is a very talented prospect that could end up being a solid player similar to former Atlanta Hawks’ point guard, Jeff Teague in the NBA.
Texas’ 6-6 freshman swingman, Tre Johnson scored 16 points on 7 of 17 shooting, and made 2 of 5 threes, and he had 4 rebounds and 3 steals in his team’s 77-73 win over Oklahoma.
(Photo: Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images, via Austin American-Statesman)
Tre Johnson had his ups and downs in his team’s close win over Oklahoma. He is an athletic shot maker that has a knack for making difficult shots, but he also will take many of them, which can also hurt his shooting percentages. He had a solid first half and was solid early in the second half, but he struggled to make shots down the stretch.
Johnson showed a decent ability to knock down shots from the outside. He showed that he was able to make threes both off the catch and dribble, and he also has a lot of range on his shot. He was able to utilizie a side step move to his left to knock down a pull-up three early on, and he can make tough outside shots. He also was able to pull up to showcase his ability to make some mid-range jumpers. However, he tended to miss on a lot of tough, pull-up jumpers, and he struggled to make floaters consistently.
He also showed a decent ability to score off the dribble. His best drive was when he drove hard on the baseline, and managed to score on an acrobatic, reverse flip layup. He also was able to drive up court to score on a high-flying dunk in transition. Johnson also excelled at scoring out of the post. He would make turnaround, fadeaway jumpers smoothly, and he showed good scoring touch, especially when matched up against smaller defenders on the block.
(Source: X/@_proinsight, via Pro Insight)
On the other hand, he was a bit turnover prone on offense. For the positives, he can ably make swift passes out of the post and off the dribble to find open shooters, and he can quickly find the open man when he looks to move the basketball. On the other hand, he has a heavy score first mindset, and he can tend to make rushed decisions that would lead to turnovers. On one play, he drove too quickly and lost the ball out of bounds in transition. Other times, he would struggle to handle pressure, and he would throw hasty, ill-advised passes that would get picked off.
Also, he was able to get his fair share of boards to help chip in on the glass. He also played adequate defense. Johnson showed a knack for intercepting passes to get steals. On the downside, he would tend to commit reach-in fouls due to over-aggressiveness, and occasionally he would sometimes get beat off the dribble by defenders that shouldn’t get past him.
Overall, Tre Johnson didn’t have his best game, but he is an athletic scorer that can make plays on both ends of the floor. He’ll need to improve his shot selection, but it’s clear that he can make shots from anywhere on the court. He reminds me of former Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard, J.R. Smith. Johnson is an athletic, talented shot maker that has the talent to be a star player in the NBA and will likely end up being selected in the late lottery of the 2025 draft, and he could end up being a solid complementary player in the NBA.
Oklahoma’s 6-7 senior forward, Jalon Moore scored 29 points, made 3 threes, and had 8 rebounds in his team’s 77-73 loss to Texas last night. (Photo: Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images, via A to Z Sports)
Jalon Moore had a strong showing in his team’s loss to Texas. He is an energetic, skilled combo forward that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he especially thrived as a shooter and scorer in this game.
Moore did a great job of knocking down threes in this game, and he excelled as a spot-up shooter from beyond the arc. He also did a very good job of scoring on strong drives to the hoop, and he particularly excelled at going to his left. Plus, Moore showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays, as he would score on dunks both in transition and off of put backs.
As a playmaker, he looked to be about average. He didn’t seem to make any noteworthy passes, but Moore showed that he can ably create his own shot on offense. On the downside, he did commit one turnover when he looked to handle the ball, but ended up stepping out of bounds.
Also, Moore did a good job of rebounding the basketball. He also played satisfactory defense in this game. He would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections, and he also was able to contest a shot off of a drive to force a miss. However, sometimes he would commit reach-in fouls due to over-aggressiveness.
Overall, Moore played very well in this game, and he is an athletic, skilled combo forward that be an intriguing option for NBA teams to consider in the second round of the 2025 draft, as he could project into a 3 and D role in the NBA.
Tramon Mark also played very well in his team’s win over Oklahoma. He had a solid all-around game, and he made clutch plays down the stretch to help his team get the victory.
Mark shot the ball well from beyond the arc, as he did a great job of making open corner threes. He also did a decent job of scoring off the dribble, and he would score on strong, right-handed drives to the hoop. He also ran the floor to score in transition. Sometimes though, he would take tough, rushed shots that would lead to misses.
He also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills. He is an unselfish player that would find open teammates on the move to set up scoring chances for his teammates. He also was able to chip in to help his team get a few defensive boards. He also defended well. Mark is an active, rangy defender that would apply considerable ball pressure and get his hands on balls to force turnovers. Overall, Mark had a very good game in his team’s win over Oklahoma, and he could project to be a solid role player in the NBA.
Jordan Pope also played very well to help lead his team to a road win over Oklahoma. He is a sharpshooting combo guard that showed a knack for making dribble, mid-range jumpers to score the basketball. He showed a very solid ability to score off the dribble. He showed a smooth floater game, as well as the ability to make pull-up jumpers, and he also has good footwork, balance, and scoring touch to consistently make shots. He also showed that he can make threes both off the catch and dribble, and he also was able to move off the ball to make a quick three, but Pope was also streaky with his three-point shot, and he would tend to take tough, contested threes that would lead to misses.
On the downside, he was fairly turnover prone on offense. For the positives, he showed that he can be a lead ball handler, and despite not having elite athletic gifts, he was able to generate shots at will, and make a handful of them. On the downside, he would sometimes struggle when pressured, which would lead him to throw hasty passes that would lead to turnovers.
Though he didn’t get many rebounds, Pope was able to get a pair of defensive boards. He also defended well, and he showed a knack for intercepting passes to get steals. Overall, Pope is a skilled combo guard that primarily excelled as a shooter and scorer in this game, and his ability to make shots could enable him to make it to the NBA someday.
Arthur Kaluma had his ups and downs in his team’s win over Oklahoma. He had a solid first half, but he didn’t seem to be as much of a factor in the second half. Kaluma showed a fairly solid ability to score off the dribble. He can score on opportunistic, powerful drives, and sometimes he would get a running start to get the basketball. On the downside, he would sometimes take tough, off-angle shots that would result in misses, and he also missed both of his three-point shots.
He also showcased adequate playmaking skills. Kaluma is an unselfish player that would quickly make the extra pass to find the open man. He also threw a long outlet pass ahead to set up a score for a teammate. However, he can struggle to protect the basketball, and he ended up committing several ball-handling turnovers in this game.
Though he didn’t grab many rebounds, he was able to get a pair of defensive boards. He also played satisfactory defense. Kaluma was able to rotate to poke a ball off of an opponent to get a steal, and he also intercepted a pass to get another. He showed a knack for rotating to the post to block shots and direct them to his teammates, and Kaluma was active at contesting shots in the paint to force misses. On the downside, sometimes he would struggle to defend out on the perimeter, as he sagged off of a shooter to allow a three-point basket. Another time, he didn’t cut off the penetration when defending a drive, and was called for committing a foul and gave up the basket.
Overall, Kaluma didn’t have his best game, but he is a strong, mobile forward that can ably create his own shot, and has shown improved defensive skills. He’ll need to improve his jump shot, but he is a second round prospect that could project into a 3 and D role at the NBA level.
Glenn Taylor Jr. had a decent showing in his team’s tough loss to Texas. He excelled at attacking the basket to get free throws and scores, and he also is a rangy defender that defended well. He is a strong, athletic forward that excelled at making hustle plays. While he will need to improve his jump shot and playmaking skills, Taylor provided scoring punch and some defense off the bench, and he could project into a 3 and D role at the NBA level in the future, especially if he can significantly improve his outside shot.
Kadin Shedrick played fairly well in his team’s win over Oklahoma. He excelled at scoring on hustle plays, he was fairly active at helping his team get some rebounds, and he also defended well. Shedrick is a rangy defender that helped his team get steals, a block, and he also contested a step-back three to force a miss. He was efficient at scoring in limited touches. On the downside, he would tend to throw hasty passes that would get intercepted, and he also was called for setting a hard moving screen that led him to commit an offensive foul and a turnover. Overall, Shedrick is an athletic rim runner that can help his team protect the paint, and while he will need to expand upon his skill set offensively, his size, athleticism, and interior play could enable him to make it to the NBA one day.
All in all, those are my thoughts on how Fears, Johnson, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.