3 Observations on MSU Hoops From Night 2 of Moneyball
In this story:
HOLT, Mich. -- Week 1 of the 21st annual Moneyball Pro-Am wrapped up with a trio of interesting games that revealed some more details about Michigan State hoops.
Ten of the 12 Spartans participating in the pro-am this year were in action on Thursday night at Holt High School. Freshman guard Carlos Medlock Jr. was in the building, but sat out with a left hamstring issue that seemed relatively precautionary. Senior forward Coen Carr wasn't there at all. For those who did play, these are the three main things I noticed.
Freshmen Show Out
Two of the biggest performances of the night came from freshmen. Top-rated incoming recruit Jasiah Jervis led everybody with 44 points for Team Faygo, despite an overtime loss to Team Tri-Star Trust. Jervis wore a shirt with five stars on the left sleeve, and he delivered one of those 5-star performances.
He just seems like the player MSU was missing last year. The Spartans didn't have a scorer as gifted as Jervis playing shooting guard during the 2025-26 season. Tom Izzo doesn't usually start freshmen right away -- he hasn't done it since Max Christie -- but I still do think right now that's the direction I'd be leaning right now if the starting lineup were determined by me. If Jervis starts the season on the bench, I have doubts he'll be there for long.
Fellow freshman Julius Avent also played like he had a point to prove again during his second Moneyball game. He had the highest scoring output out of everybody on Night 1 with 30 points, but he bested that with 40 in a victory against a Medlock-less Team Motorcars.
Avent is the lowest-rated recruit in Michigan State's highly anticipated 2026 recruiting class. Even though he's still solidly in that 4-star range, Avent hasn't gotten a ton of preseason hype. He's got a fair number of people ahead of him at small forward and power forward. Scoring a bunch of points in Moneyball isn't everything (Trey Fort dropped 58 once last year), but Avent is still assuredly the first week's big winner.
Jesse McCulloch's Sky Hook
Something that also stood out is a new shot Jesse McCulloch seems to be working on. He's broken out that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "sky hook" a few times during the first week of pro-am games.
It's not entirely clear whether it is a shot McCulloch is attempting because it's a pro-am and he doesn't have Izzo peering over, but that's also not a shot somebody just decides to take one day. Mastering a sky hook is very difficult. That's why the list of players who have put it in their games since Abdul-Jabbar made it famous is still pretty small.
If McCulloch can add that shot to his repertoire, that would be a real weapon for him. He already has the advantage of being 6'11", but a good sky hook is perhaps the most unblockable shot in basketball.
McCulloch isn't the only player working on it, either. Medlock tried it once back on Tuesday as well. That's even tougher for a guard at about 5'11" to master, but it can still have its uses when getting in the paint against larger defenders.
Jordan Scott's Deep Threes
Jordan Scott was also testing out his range a ton on Thursday. He probably took about 10 three-pointers that were at least a step or two from behind the dotted college three-point line taped on the court.
He probably only made two or three of them, but the intent behind the shots is still interesting. Scott didn't exactly launch a bunch of 30-footers during his freshman season. He mostly just shot catch-and-shoot threes when they were open. It was a good strategy, as Scott shot 37% from deep for the season and 43.5% during Big Ten play.
Scott might want to extend that range a little bit. The NBA line is a little bit further, after all, and getting some respect while being a step or two behind the arc still helps improve spacing for Michigan State's offense. Scott will be one of the first players MSU turns to for three-point shotmaking after how he finished out his freshman season from there.
Again, this could easily just be something Scott is working on for down the line. Cam Ward was launching threes during his game, too -- he even made one, if I'm remembering things correctly. That doesn't mean Ward will be allowed to take a long ball when the Spartans are playing real games eventually.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika