Takeaways from Michigan State players at the MoneyBall Pro-Am

The Moneyball Pro-Am summer league, held at Holt High School, continued this week with many of the players on the Michigan State men's basketball roster competing against each other and the other participants . This week on Tuesday, I attended the free event to watch the last round of games before playoffs began.

While there, I had the chance to catch up with MSU soon-to-be junior center Carson Cooper to talk about what it is like to play in Moneyball and how he thinks it benefits him and his teammates.

When asked what he likes most about Moneyball, Cooper shared that it gives the players all “freedom to play" and it is a "fun" event that also allows them to sharpen their skills ahead of the 2024-2025 season.

“It’s cool to see everybody have fun,” Cooper shared. “Guys from other teams, they can have a good time, too. They can work on what they need to work on, and we can work on what we need to work on.”

The teams are broken up to disperse MSU and CMU players amongst other current and former college players, with the addition of a few pro players mixed in.

MSU’s players are divided up as follows:

This season, Szymon Zapala and Kur Teng are teamed up on Team Goodfella; 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.

Note that point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is not a regular participant in Moneyball as he continues to heal from surgery after suffering a gun shot wound last December, but he has filled in from time to time. Fears was granted a medical redshirt from the NCAA and will be a redshirt freshman for the 2024-2025 season.

Tuesday's results are as follows:

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Things to note from Tuesday's games:

1. Jaxon Kohler does not come to mess around. During the first game of the evening (Tri-Star Trust versus Motorcars), he put up 58 points. He looked confident to take inside and perimeter shots and looked to be in better shape following his foot injury that caused him to miss 14 games last season.

2. Tre Holloman hates losing, and sometimes allows it get in his head. Before their matchup on Tuesday, Holloman's team had not won a single game, and this week started off looking no different. Holloman was visisbly frustrated with his teammates and did not have the help of Carson Cooper (due to Cooper getting hit in the face the week prior). By the end of the game, Holloman was able to turn his frustration into much-needed points. Holloman got his team their first win of the season with a margin of four points. His competitiveness really stuck out.

3. Nebraska Omaha Frankie Fidler is going to fit right in, or maybe stand out? While dropping 37 points in his game, the newcomer to the Spartan roster showed off pull-up 3-pointers and awareness on the court that the previous year's roster may have been missing.

4. True freshman guard Jase Richardson is composed, a steady prescience who put down shots with precision.

5. As Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo may say, Jeremy Fears Jr. is an OKG ('our kind of guy') through and through. As mentioned, it was announced at the start of the tournament that Fears would not be partaking this summer to continue to emphasize ensured healing after his surgery following suffering a gun shot wound. Although Fears was not playing, he sat on the bench with some of his teammates and other players competing in Moneyball for the entirety of the three games. A silent observer and supporter, and dare I say the makings of a great leader for this team.

6. Moneyball is about the community. Bringing people together who love basketball, MSU or just some free summer entertainment. Kids get their basketballs signed that they will keep in their bedrooms for years to come, families come together to cheer on half-court shots, and players come together to "just have fun," as Carson Cooper noted.

Of course, the results of Moneyball aren't usually a great indication of how the basketball season itself is going to go or how each player is going to perform individually during the campaign, as the setting allows for many of the players to shine in their own ways. However, it gives us a glimpse into how the players look physically and the strides they've made from last year. It also provides great entertainment for the community and allows the players to hone their craft.

Next week, as mentioned, playoffs begin for Moneyball. The games will continue to be held at Holt High School.