The Moneyball Pro-Am is an annual summer tournament taking place in Holt, Michigan. It's been held since 2004 and, typically, active Michigan State players will be a part of the tournament -- and usually dominate. It is a great way for players to interact with the public and for the fans to see what is in store for the Spartans in the coming season.
This season, Szymon Zapala and Kur Teng are teamed up on Team Goodfellas, Gehrig Normand and Jaxon Kohler are on Team Tri-Star Trust, Tre Holloman and Carson Cooper are together on Team Snipes, Jaden Akins and Xavier Booker play on Team Motorcars, Frankie Fidler and Jesse McCullough are on Team Case Credit Union, and Coen Carr and Jase Richardson are on Team Faygo.
They are currently four games in, with Normand and Kohler’s Tri-Star Trust in first place, followed by Team Faygo, Team Goodfellas, Team Case Credit Union, Team Motorcars, and Team Snipes. Spartans make up the entire top 10 leading scorers in the entire tournament, with the top three being Fidler, Carr, and Richardson.
Let’s take a look at all 12 players competing:
Frankie Fidler
Fidler has been the best player in the entire pro-am. The transfer from Nebraska-Omaha is averaging 39 points per game in the Moneyball Pro-Am, where he has made 17 3-pointers through four games (4.25 per game), and has been absolutely dominant. His best game was against Holloman and Cooper, where he dropped 45 points en route to a victory.
Coen Carr
Carr is looking to impact the court more this season, and he has outplayed most of his competition at Moneyball. Carr and Richardson have been the best duo so far for Team Faygo, with Carr leading the team with 33.5 points per game. Carr has been showing why he is the most athletic player in the country, and has even hit five 3-pointers in four games. Carr has been playing well, and Spartan fans are hoping that he keeps up his stellar play.
Jase Richardson
Richardson, an incoming four-star recruit, is one of three freshmen headed to campus for the Spartans in 2024. He has played great in his first four Moneyball games, averaging 28.8 points per game, and showing off his athleticism in the process. If he is able to be more consistent as a shooter, he will be a great player, and he is starting to do just that.
Jaxon Kohler
Kohler is having performing well through four games as well, averaging 33.8 points a game. Five 3-pointers through four games is impressive for the 6-foot-9 big man. He has been the best player on the best team so far, and is looking to lead Team Tri-Star Trust to a Moneyball Pro-Am Championship.
Tre Holloman
Despite his squad starting 0-4, Holloman is still averaging 27.5 points a game with nearly four 3-pointers per game. Holloman is expected to take a big step this year, which might be seen in upcoming Moneyball performances -- and some wins for Team Snipes.
Xavier Booker
With reports of Booker being bigger and stronger, fans are dying to see a stepped up performance from Booker this season. With the poor center play from the Spartans the last few seasons, Booker might be the answer. The sharpshooting big man has averaged 25 points per game during Moneyball, and has hit the second most 3-pointers on his team, trailing only Fidler.
Jaden Akins
Akins has played great. His 30.3 points per game and five 3-pointers per game shows why he has been a top player for the Spartans, and will be this coming season. Akins and Booker would like to start piling up some wins, as two likely starters are sitting at just 1-3 four games in.
Gehrig Normand
The redshirt freshman is averaging 19.5 points per game as well in his team's 4-0 start to the summer. Normand and Kohler have been the most underrated duo in Moneyball, and are looking to take their squad to a championship.
Carson Cooper
Cooper is putting up 20.3 points per game for Team Snipes, alongside Holloman. Cooper and Holloman will look to make a big impact in the Breslin Center this fall -- but they'd also like to step it up and rack up some Moneyball wins before it is too late.
Kur Teng
Teng, as a part of Team Goodfellas, is averaging 18.8 points per game. His sharpshooting ability is the best part of Teng’s game, which he has somewhat displayed so far. He has hit seven 3-pointers in four games, averaging nearly two per game. If he can get that number up a bit, Spartan fans will love what they seeing.
Szymon Zapala
Zapala, the newest Spartan to the roster, has averaged 16 points per game for Team Goodfellas. The Poland native transferred from Longwood, where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Big South Champions.
Jesse McCullough
McCullough put up 17.8 points per game in four contests. His teammate Fidler has been great, so if McCullough steps up his game, Team Case Credit Union has a great chance to win the entire thing.
Spartan fans in attendance at Holt High School are once again enjoying this annual Moneyball Pro-Am tradition every Tuesday and Thursday. The Spartans have been showcasing shooting, athleticism, and more. Get yourself out to Holt and check out this year's Spartan players in a relaxed environment.
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