Final takes on Moneyball, and what Carson Cooper's improvement could mean for Michigan State

HOLT, Mich. - There were no championship rings or trophies handed out on Thursday night, but it was clear to see that Michigan State senior Carson Cooper is having a winning summer. Cooper scored 21 points and 16 rebounds in teaming with fellow Spartan Jeremy Fears in leading Team Tristar to an 82-58 victory over Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler and Divine Ugochukwu and Team Faygo in the Championship Game of the Moneyball Pro-Am, at Holt High School.  Cooper and Fears wrapped up a five-week Moneyball season with Tristar by handling Team Faygo pretty much from start to finish - although Faygo trimmed a 30-11 lead to 38-32 at the half.  But Cooper and Fears kicked it back in, in the second half. Kohler and Ugochukwu were inefficient in the second half, due in part to having to play a semifinal game against Trey Fort, Jordan Scott and Team Snipes two hours earlier, due to lower seeding. Meanwhile, Cooper's team only had to play once on championship Thursday. Moneyball has a reputation as being a defense-optional type of league, but things were tight and competitive in this game. Kohler was grouchy about his team’s early double-digit deficit and played with the body language of a desperate player immersed in a Big Ten game. He tried hard to bring his team back, and did a lot of barking on the bench at halftime. Cooper’s squad double-teammed Kohler for most of the night whenever he touched the ball in the post.  “Hey, I didn’t come up with that scheme,” Cooper said. “I always like working against Jaxon, especially in practice. But it made my job easier, so I can’t complain too much.” (Much more inside SpartanMag.com, including a scouting report on Cooper's improvement, and a strong prediction about transfer Trey Fort).