Michigan State freshmen dazzle on opening night at Moneyball Pro-Am
Holt, Mich. – The stands at Holt High School on the opening night of the Moneyball Pro-Am on Thursday evening were packed with Michigan State fans hoping to get a first look at the talented four-man freshmen class of Jeremy Fears, Xavier Bookier, Coen Carr, and Gehrig Normand.
They were not disappointed. Each of member of Michigan State’s consensus Top 5 recruiting class not only played on Thursday night, but played well enough to capture the imagination of a fanbase that is hungry to see more banners raised in the rafters at the Breslin Center.
And while the spectator-friendly, minimal-to-no defense style of basketball at the Moneyball Pro-Am is hardly a barometer of a team’s capacity to compete for championships, Michigan State fans in attendance were entertained while getting better acquainted with a group of first-year Spartan players that have brought new energy to a veteran ballclub during their short time on campus.
That energy was on full display in Thursday’s games as the quartet of Booker, Fears, Carr, and Normand combined to score 120 points on the opening night of The Moneyball Pro-Am.
“It was a blast,” said Normand, who scored 22 points for Team 5 Star Zone in a win over Jaden Akins-led Team Snipes. “We’ve known each other for a such long time and played in a bunch of open gyms together. Being able to come here and show what we’ve got, and give East Lansing a little preview of what’s to come this year.”
Booker scored 35 points and was credited with 20 rebounds as the Co-Player of the Game for AJ Hoggard-led Team Faygo, which edged Fears and Team Nano Magic. Not to be outdone, Fears, who shared Co-Player honors with Booker, scored 37 points and added 10 rebounds with six assists in the loss.
“It was a great experience,” said Fears, a McDonalds All-American. “We have had some practices, but we haven’t really had any live stuff, so to kind of have a live setting, to have some great passes and great shots, it was great overall.”
For Fears, who is one of the best passers and all-around playmakers in the Class of 2023, the Moneyball Pro-Am offered an opportunity to introduce his game to Michigan State fans.
“This is definitely a cool environment, but my first time being here,” Fears said. “I saw some highlights from last year but being here for the first time. Great atmosphere, great environment. It was overall fun, and I got to showcase some of my skills.”
Booker knew less about the Moneyball Pro-Am coming into the event than Michigan State’s other freshmen, but had a good time nonetheless in the free-flowing environment.
“I had never heard of it before coming here,” said Booker, “I thought it was some kind of game like knock-out. It was definitely fun being out here with the guys.”
Carr and Normand teamed up in lopsided win for 5 Star Zone. Carr was named the MVP for 5 Star Zone with 26 point and 10 rebounds. Nearly all of those points were scored on crowd-pleasing dunks. Normand scored a good chunk of his 22 points behind the 3-point line. The wing from Texas also showed some ferocity when attacking the rim.
“It was good, my first experience,” said Carr. “They were talking about it a couple of weeks. The were saying that all the Michigan State players have been playing in it for a long time, but I didn’t know too much about it. Practice has been going serious for the last couple of weeks, so it was good to have some fun.”
Normand had as much fun watching Carr as he did playing in his first Moneyball Pro-Am.
“He is such a blast to play with,” said Normand. “He can fly, man. It is so much fun to watching him go, and to be his teammate and his roommate. It’s a blast, it really is.”
Getting Acclimated at Michigan State
Making the transition from high school to college isn’t easy, even for a recruiting class as talented as the four-man group of Booker, Fears, Carr, and Normand. Each of those Spartan freshmen are working hard to handle the challenges inherent with playing in a Power 5 program that has been as successful as Michigan State has during the Tom Izzo era.
At 6-11, 205, Booker is the highest ranked player in Michigan State’s freshmen class. As such, he faces tremendous pressure to measure up to his consensus Top 20 billing.
“It’s been going good,” Booker said. “I’ve been on campus three to four weeks now. A lot of the stuff is new to me. But one of the things I am telling myself is that when I make mistakes not to take it too personal. I am going to just take it day by day and eventually I am going to get the hang of everything and be ready to go for the season.
“I have made a lot of mistakes so far, but I am trying not to take it personally. I am just taking it as constructive criticism.”
The pace of college practices and the spacing on the court has proved to be among the biggest challenges for Booker to date.
“I am not used to that wide spacing,” Booker said, “but it has definitely been good, and it has also benefited me in a lot of different ways.”
Facing long, athletic, and physically mature big men in practice has reinforced the need to get stronger.
“I definitely have a long way to go,” Booker said. “The weight room, I’m getting used to it and definitely getting stronger. Just taking it day by day.”
At 6-foot-7, 200, Carr is arguably the most athletic wing in the 2023 class. His potential as a multi-position defender is off-the-charts. To get where he wants to go, however, Carr has a lot to learn during Michigan State’s summer practice sessions.
“It’s been an adjustment on defense and offense, moving, being faster, conditioning, all of that stuff,” Carr said. “I am just taking it one day at a time, trying to get better. Coach (Izzo) has been cool during the summer because were aren’t doing too much, but it’s going to turn up once the season starts.”
At 6-foot-1, 175, Fears is competing with and learning from more experienced players like Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, and Tre Hollomans.
“The pace and the game speed has been really different,” Fears said. “Coming from high school to college is a transition. They’ve been helping me out in practice in every aspect, leadership, talking, skills. I’m just really happy to have them here.”
At 6-foot-5, 185, Normand played in a demanding grassroots program where he was coached hard before coming to Michigan State. As such, he is a little bit more comfortable being uncomfortable than most college freshmen. Even so, making a transition from high school to Michigan State has still been challenging for Normand.
“I am just super glad to be here,” Normand said. “It is one of the best programs in the country. There is reason why their culture is winning championships. Coach Izzo does a great job here, and that’s the reason that I am here.
“It’s been a great three to four weeks that I’ve been here. I’ve just been pushing myself hard in the weight room, trying to get to where I want to be, where my end goal it.”
The Moneyball Pro-Am runs from 6-9 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Holt High School from June 29 to August 3. There is no game on July 4.
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