Every week from June 24th to July 31st, collegiate and semi-professional athletes take the court, comprising six different teams. Players from various colleges and pro teams make up the rosters besides MSU. Lansing Community College, Detroit Mercy, Grand Valley State and even the Motor City Cruise have players competing in the annual league. 

Inside the Holt High School gym, Spartan fans are everywhere. Young supporters line up after games, hoping to snag autographs from Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears Jr., Jaxon Kohler and others. Kohler said he cherishes the chance to connect with fans during the summer, something he rarely gets to do during the season.

"For all the Spartan fans out there, I want to make sure that in the off-season, we have a chance to connect with you as much as we can," Kohler said after his game with Team Faygo. "When it comes to the Breslin, that's a special energy that not a lot of arenas in either college or the NBA can match. That's why I love playing here–it's one of the many reasons why I love playing here."

Team Motorcars, led by Carr, kicked off the night with a matchup against Team Case Credit Union, which featured Nick Sanders. Carr delivered highlight-reel dunks throughout the game, barely spending a minute at a time with his feet on the ground.

With every slam, the crowd erupted, helping Carr to put on a show, he said.

"I try to give the crowd a show, so to be able to do that every night feels good to put smiles on people’s faces," Carr said. "Practice gets so serious, so to be able to have some fun and play around with the guys is great. It's kind of a different vibe from practice so it’s cool."

Carr and incoming freshman phenom Cam Ward lit up the scoreboard in their win over Team Case. Carr currently leads all scorers with 40 points per game. Transfer senior Trey Fort follows with 38.3, while Kohler and Ward are averaging 30.3 and 26.4, respectively.

Scoring is never in short supply at Moneyball, with most games surpassing 100 points in two 20-minute halves.

"(We just want) to have fun in the summer," Fears said. "We’re here for the people, to be around them, be with the community, and just come out and have a little fun, give them something that they can remember, take some pictures, sign some autographs, and just really have a great time."

Without the stakes of a grueling Big Ten season, Moneyball gives the Spartans time to work on the skills they need the most work on in the offseason. 

After a season in which Kohler faced criticism for his lateral quickness, he’s using the summer to put in extra work ahead of his senior year.

"Everything that I did last year, I want to take it to a new level," Kohler said. "Playing harsh, shooting the ball, face-up game, rebounding. I’m just trying to be a beast on the boards, beast on offense, and try to work on sliding my feet defensively, moving laterally, so that if I ever get switched onto a guard, no one will have to worry. I’m taking the psycho mentality to a new level."

"Looking at it as my freshman year going to my sophomore year, I got a summer under me and I’m just really working on everything, honestly, there’s not really an area that I'm not working on," Fears said. "Trying to make the game slow down for me, and making the right reads, take and make more shots and just be a little bit more aggressive, but also smart at the same time."

In an interview with Big Ten Network’s Rick Pizzo, Izzo praised Carr’s offseason work and said fans should expect a big year from the junior forward. In seven Moneyball games this summer, Carr averaged nearly three three-pointers per game — an impressive jump after making only five all season last year.

"And his shooting, he's changed his shot, changed his free throws," Izzo said. "He was a very good free-throw shooter at the end of the year, now he's got to defend. He's got to rebound even a little better, but he can run the floor. I expect him to have a big year."

Fort and Kur Teng, both known for their outside shooting, have shown off their range all summer at Moneyball. Fort averaged over five three-pointers per game and shot 37.9 percent from deep last season at Samford. Teng, expected to see more minutes as a sophomore, is averaging 3.4 threes per game in Moneyball action.

With two highly touted freshmen and several transfer additions, MSU has plenty of new faces this year. Kohler said he enjoys getting to know the newcomers and building relationships before the season begins.

"During this off-season, we're going to keep building chemistry and keep playing with each other, see what our strengths, what our weaknesses are, and work on our weaknesses," Kohler said. "That's all better for the team."

As the regular season approaches, Moneyball continues to serve as more than just a summer showcase. It’s where Spartan players build chemistry, refine their craft, and connect with the community that fuels them. For MSU fans, it’s a glimpse of what’s to come. For the players, it’s one more step toward something bigger in East Lansing.