How MSU's Avent Made Big Statement in Moneyball Week 1
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HOLT, Mich. -- One of Michigan State's incoming freshmen was prematurely becoming an afterthought on the wider outlook of the Spartans' 2026-27 squad.
The rankings dictate that Julius Avent is the "worst" freshman MSU took in its highly regarded 2026 recruiting class. He's a 4-star prospect, but still the lowest-rated member of the four-person class at 88th overall, according to the 247Sports Composite. That's behind Jasiah Jervis (31st), Ethan Taylor (38th), and Carlos Medlock Jr. (50th).
Early Performances at Moneyball
Avent didn't look like the recruit receiving the least fanfare during the first week of Moneyball Pro-Am games. He's been the second-leading scorer out of everybody through two games, scoring 70 total points. Jervis is in first place in the scoring department, just ahead of Avent with 71 total points, including an event-high (so far) 44 points on Thursday.
Avent's first appearance resulted in 30 points with five made threes. Two days later, Avent topped that with 40 points. He's paired with Jordan Scott on Team SPS. They're one of two teams (out of six) that went 2-0 during Week 1. The other team, sponsored by LAFCU, includes Jeremy Fears Jr.
The pairing with Scott is interesting. They're both wings, though Scott primarily swings between being a shooting guard and a small forward. Avent will likely be going between small forward and power forward. Scott is somebody who played above initial expectations during his freshman year at MSU. Avent hopes the same thing will happen to him.
"I'm just trying to let him know rankings don't matter," Scott said about Avent. "None of that matters in college. Just play to your skillset, and everything will come. That's what happened last year for me."
"I definitely have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder," Avent said. "Being the most probably under-ranked recruit in the class, I'm trying to prove myself every day: practice, games, anything."
Each of the other freshmen right now feels like a near-lock to receive meaningful minutes this coming year. Medlock will be Fears' backup point guard and really could play his way into being more than that. I think Jervis will be the Spartans' starting two-guard at some point next year. Taylor will play a role at center and is a pretty good passer for somebody who is 7'1".
Early Observations of Avent's Game
The potential for Avent is sky-high. Some polishing is certainly in order, but the makings of a really good player are pretty obvious when one sees Avent in action.
A lot of it starts with Avent's multi-level scoring. Suffice to say, Michigan State's players aren't quite as shy to let it fly during Moneyball Pro-Am as they might be during official practices or during games. Still, Avent has multiple ways to put the ball in the basket.
Avent's best physical trait is his arms. His wingspan is all the way out at 7'3", even though he's in that 6'7" or 6'8" range. He's also got some bigger muscles on those arms than most other freshmen.
That physical development allows Avent to be pretty physical close to the rim. Something I've been impressed with is Avent's controlled aggressiveness in the paint. He's able to throw his weight around, but he doesn't do it in a way where he becomes prone to committing offensive fouls. His shoulder doesn't get lowered as he seeks contact.
My favorite part of Avent's game right now is his bag in the mid-range game. That's been the part that he's shown off the most thus far in Moneyball. Avent can use the fact that he's a threat to back a defender down to his advantage here, and he consistently creates a lot of space for a turnaround jumper that he clearly works on a ton.
Avent is also a threat from deep. He's made six threes through two Moneyball games so far (they don't record attempts, so I don't know on what percentage). This probably won't be Avent's go-to shot right away at Michigan State, but he's not going to be a guy opponents willingly leave alone out there.
The question remains about whether Avent will do enough during Moneyball and in practice to earn serious minutes. I would have thought redshirting would be on the table under previous NCAA rules, but the recently enacted "5-in-5" rule makes holding somebody out for a year pointless.
Plus, that redshirt guess was before I got to see Avent play. He'll have to compete with the likes of Coen Carr, Kaleb Glenn, Jordan Scott, and Jesse McCulloch for minutes. It's a packed part of the rotation, and there are only so many minutes to go around. Regardless, Avent is off to a fast and convincing start.
Hear From Avent
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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.
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