Moneyball Pro-Am

It was a nice move but let’s be honest, we all loved the fact that Mo wasn’t going to let it happen. That’s something this team needs.

2 Likes

Moneyball was supposed to feature Michigan and MSU players, but Irvin, Walton, MAAR, Donnal and Robinson were not there. Mo arrived just before the half of his game. He played a good bit in the second half, often matched up against Nick Ward, MSU’s freshman center. Ward is a load. He has some moves and agility for a guy so big, and scored a lot in the paint. Mo slowed him down a little in the second half, but Ward still made his presence felt. Ward struggled running the court, though. Mo was not warmed up and had difficulty getting his wind and getting in the flow of the game. He has put on some muscle but not enough yet. Once he got going, he got a couple buckets in transition. He made the play of the game in the last minute, stealing the ball from Ward, who was isolated on Mo out high, and driving in for a dunk to put his team ahead. While there were a few high ball screens, this was pick up style basketball with a lot one on one and guys jacking up threes.

DJ played in the next game. DJ has really filled out. He was matched up against Schilling most of the time. He had no problem defending him. He was running the court and getting some easy stuff. He only took a few perimeter shots, made one. Rebounded well. I was pleased with his overall play and conditioning.

Dakich played some, but just the same Dakich for the most part. His team had Cassius Winston and Eron Harris as guards. Winston made some really nifty plays but also turned it over a lot. Harris was the best player on the floor, nailing threes and scoring on slashing drives. He was matched up against Langford, who could not stop him. Langford has a nice handle and can get to the rim. Very impressive. He does not appear to be a reliable three point shooter at this point.

Izzo has a lot of pieces. Schilling is adequate, but they will need Ward to come along to be really good, final four good. Clark, who transferred to St. Johns from MSU looked very good. Nice three point shot, strong.

3 Likes

Practical question: I am planning to go tonight. It looks like a small gym. Does anybody know if this fills up and they stop letting people in----because we are arriving late? I don’t want to make the drive and have my son and nephew disappointed…Thanks.

Not sure re: crowds and getting in, but don’t necessarily count on Michigan players attending. Seems like they’ve skipped the last few.

Thank you for the warning. None of the Michigan players were there but it was good to get a peek at MSU’s players. My take: Nick Ward is overrated. Nairn is still a very shakey guard. Bridges, as advertised, is a beast and he made Ellis look silly on quite a few occasions but I think that has more to do with Bridges being an absolutely dominant player. I can’t think of any individual player on our team that is going to have success guarding Bridges–He is going to get his points, period…Fun event. Does anybody else think Ward is overrated? I see him as a project with potential who will not be ready to contribute to MSU this year. he scored a lot but he did not have a true big guarding him. He showed finesse around the rim but he is not explosive at all. Not very quick either. Overweight up top with skinny legs.

I’ve always thought of Ward as a Matt Costello type player. Not instant impact but has a nice ceiling to develop and will be a real nice college player his junior and senior seasons.