3 Interesting Things MSU Players Working on at Moneyball

Michigan State's players are working on some interesting things at Holt High School.

Team Tri-Star and Michigan State's Jesse McCulloch, right, jokes with MSU teammate and Team Faygo’s Cam Ward during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Holt High School. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

HOLT, Mich. -- Tom Izzo isn't there to bench you for a "bad shot" during Moneyball.

The annual event gives Michigan State basketball players a unique avenue to work on new aspects of their game. Perhaps a new quirk will make its way into real games this coming winter and spring; perhaps not. Either way, there are a few interesting things that have appeared at Holt High School this summer:

Multiple: Sky Hooks?

Team LAFCU’s and Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears, right, guards MSU teammate and Team Motorcars’ Carlos Medlock Jr. during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Tuesday, July, 14, 2026, at Holt High School. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One pretty rare shot in basketball is the sky hook made famous by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It's perhaps the most unblockable shot anyone in the sport has conceived up to this point, but it's an extremely difficult shot to master.

Two different Spartans have at least tried it out during the Moneyball Pro-Am. I've seen both guard Carlos Medlock Jr. and forward Jesse McCulloch break it out a bit. The two of them are separated by about an entire foot in height (Medlock is probably 5'11" and McCulloch is 6'11"), but that's part of what makes the shot so interesting. Guards have use for it, but so do big men.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr., left, and Jesse McCulloch, right, celebrate after Fears made a shot to end the first half against Cornell on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

McCulloch would probably benefit the most from it. It was a center's signature shot, after all. He'll be looking to break out a post move more often, and that shot would consistently get him a decent look from five feet or so away from the rim.

Medlock having that in the bag would still be important. He already has to find creative ways to score as a smaller guard, which is a big part of what has made him a very entertaining watch at Moneyball so far. Having a sky hook would give him the ability to shoot over players bigger than him anytime he takes it towards the rim.

Scott: Deeper Threes

Michigan State's Jordan Scott watches a free throw go up during a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal against UCLA at the United Center on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

The clear thing Jordan Scott has been working on is his range. He's been shooting plenty of three-pointers from at least a step or two behind the college line. Moneyball only records made shots, but Scott has led the event with 13 made threes through four full days of competition and two weeks, with Week 3 called off due to unsafe court conditions.

Scott should be one of Michigan State's go-to shooters this season. He shot 37% on threes last year, but that number would be higher if it weren't for a bit of a slow start. Scott made 43.5% of his three-pointers during Big Ten regular-season competition while taking 3.1 attempts per contest.

MSU teammates and SPS teammates Jordan Scott, left, and Julius Avent head to the bench during a timeout in the game against Team Motorcars during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Holt High School. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There should probably be more minutes for Scott this season, especially if he carves out a starting role during the early part of the season. Scott averaged 26.7 minutes per game during the final 13 games of the season last year, all of which he started. In the 22 battles prior to that, Scott got 17.4 minutes per game.

Forcing defenses to respect his range from NBA range or further would open up everything a little more. It would give his teammates more space to operate, but it's also the kind of thing that would only help Scott get on more NBA radars. Being able to make a 30-footer makes that shot just behind the line seem that much easier, too.

Ward: Threes

Team Faygo and Michigan State’s Cam Ward, right, slaps hands with Ker Teng during a break in the action in the game against Team Tri-Star during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Holt High School. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Speaking of expanding the range, one of the other surprises has been seeing Cam Ward try out so many three-pointers. He's made 10 of them so far, but there was one game where he made seven -- that's the highest single-game total for anybody at the pro-am up to this point.

Ward would be one of the last players I would expect to have any sort of three-point shot before Moneyball began. I still don't think it's something we'll see that often this season, but if Ward gets the green light to shoot the occasional three-point shot, that likely means he's gained some confidence in his mid-range game.

Michigan State's Cam Ward looks to score against UConn during the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena on Friday, March 27, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

"This is why I'm appreciative of Moneyball," Ward said last week. "Just because you get to do it in live play. You're not playing against, like, slouches. These guys are college guys: like D-II, D-III, JUCO guys; some overseas pros are back. You're actually playing against kind of the same level, if not better, competition sometimes, especially playing against your teammates [at MSU]."

Ward already proved himself to be a plus player last year without a jump shot, so his being in the starting lineup this coming season wouldn't be a shock. Adding a decent mid-range shot, and perhaps even just a three-point shot he tries out once every two games or so, would increase Ward's value on the court exponentially.