{"id":9168,"date":"2023-06-30T04:39:09","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T09:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=9168"},"modified":"2023-06-30T04:39:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T09:39:09","slug":"michigan-state-freshmen-dazzle-on-opening-night-at-moneyball-pro-am","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/michigan-state-freshmen-dazzle-on-opening-night-at-moneyball-pro-am\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan State freshmen dazzle on opening night at Moneyball Pro-Am"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holt, Mich.<\/em> \u2013 The stands at Holt High School on the opening night of the Moneyball Pro-Am<\/a> 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<\/a><\/strong>, Xavier Bookier<\/a><\/strong>, Coen Carr<\/a><\/strong>, and Gehrig Normand<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

They were not disappointed. Each of member of Michigan State\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

And while the spectator-friendly, minimal-to-no defense style of basketball at the Moneyball Pro-Am is hardly a barometer of a team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

That energy was on full display in Thursday\u2019s games as the quartet of Booker, Fears, Carr, and Normand combined to score 120 points on the opening night of The Moneyball Pro-Am. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a blast,\u201d said Normand, who scored 22 points for Team 5 Star Zone in a win over Jaden Akins<\/a><\/strong>-led Team Snipes. \u201cWe\u2019ve 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\u2019ve got, and give East Lansing a little preview of what\u2019s to come this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Booker scored 35 points and was credited with 20 rebounds as the Co-Player of the Game for AJ Hoggard<\/a><\/strong>-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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great experience,\u201d said Fears, a McDonalds All-American. \u201cWe have had some practices, but we haven\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is definitely a cool environment, but my first time being here,\u201d Fears said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Booker knew less about the Moneyball Pro-Am coming into the event than Michigan State\u2019s other freshmen, but had a good time nonetheless in the free-flowing environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never heard of it before coming here,\u201d said Booker, \u201cI thought it was some kind of game like knock-out. It was definitely fun being out here with the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was good, my first experience,\u201d said Carr. \u201cThey 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\u2019t know too much about it. Practice has been going serious for the last couple of weeks, so it was good to have some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Normand had as much fun watching Carr as he did playing in his first Moneyball Pro-Am.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is such a blast to play with,\u201d said Normand. \u201cHe can fly, man. It is so much fun to watching him go, and to be his teammate and his roommate. It\u2019s a blast, it really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting Acclimated at Michigan State<\/h2>\n

Making the transition from high school to college isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

At 6-11, 205, Booker is the highest ranked player in Michigan State\u2019s freshmen class. As such, he faces tremendous pressure to measure up to his consensus Top 20 billing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been going good,\u201d Booker said. \u201cI\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pace of college practices and the spacing on the court has proved to be among the biggest challenges for Booker to date.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not used to that wide spacing,\u201d Booker said, \u201cbut it has definitely been good, and it has also benefited me in a lot of different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Facing long, athletic, and physically mature big men in practice has reinforced the need to get stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely have a long way to go,\u201d Booker said. \u201cThe weight room, I\u2019m getting used to it and definitely getting stronger. Just taking it day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s summer practice sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an adjustment on defense and offense, moving, being faster, conditioning, all of that stuff,\u201d Carr said. \u201cI am just taking it one day at a time, trying to get better. Coach (Izzo) has been cool during the summer because were aren\u2019t doing too much, but it\u2019s going to turn up once the season starts.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 6-foot-1, 175, Fears is competing with and learning from more experienced players like Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, and Tre Hollomans.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe pace and the game speed has been really different,\u201d Fears said. \u201cComing from high school to college is a transition. They\u2019ve been helping me out in practice in every aspect, leadership, talking, skills. I\u2019m just really happy to have them here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just super glad to be here,\u201d Normand said. \u201cIt 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\u2019s the reason that I am here.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a great three to four weeks that I\u2019ve been here. I\u2019ve just been pushing myself hard in the weight room, trying to get to where I want to be, where my end goal it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

The post Michigan State freshmen dazzle on opening night at Moneyball Pro-Am<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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