MSU big men Kohler, Cooper show improvements in head-to-head battle at Moneyball Pro-Am

HOLT – As junior big men Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper took the floor on opposite sides during Thursday's Moneyball Pro-Am, it was a chance for Michigan State fans to look at the head-to-head competition that the duo wages in every practice.

With the departure of Mady Sissoko, who graduated and transferred to play a fifth year at California, Kohler and Cooper will be battling for minutes at the center position. MSU did bring in a transfer from Longwood in Szymon Zapala to add to the competition, but he is expected to fill more of a depth role for the Spartans.

The Kohler-Cooper battle on Thursday had plenty of sizzle. Kohler finished with 29 points, knocking down his first three 3-pointers, and showcasing an array of post moves against Cooper with a soft touch around the rim.

Cooper finished with 26 points, and outside of two made 3-pointers of his own, his finishes were more emphatic — rocking the rim on one dunk after another.

The strength of Kohler's game is on the offensive end, with an agile body and plenty of tricks in his bag of post moves. He finishes well around the rim, is consistent with his fadeaway jump shot, and has improved his ability to knock down shots from deep.

Cooper is bigger — not by much — but with his extra length has an edge on the defensive end. Cooper knows his consistency on offense is something the team needs. And for Kohler to earn time time on the court, he needs to shore up his defense in the paint.

"I think you could ask any MSU fan here and they'd give you the same answer, offensively just finding that rhythm and comfortability and to find that confidence in it," Cooper said. "I want to show that I have confidence in my game so the coaches have confidence in me. That goes for all the bigs on both ends, we're going to have to be a more well-rounded team with shots more distributed."

Kohler missed a good chunk of last season with a foot injury, but through a newfound diet and now feeling 100 percent healthy, he could be ready to truly break out like he thought he might last season.

"Just keep playing through adversity, when bad things happen you just keep fighting through it and never give up," Kohler said. "I don't see the point of talking about the past. It's a new year. I'm working on everything. I've always felt the ability to shoot it, but last year I got thrown into the fire a little bit. Every summer since coming to MSU I've always taken a sense of urgency in the weight room, because coming in I think I was lacking in that area.

"Getting stronger, faster, quicker, jumping higher, there's a sense of urgency with all of it. I've given up a lot, but at the next level you have to sacrifice things to get better. All of that, along with my diet, shows how serious I am and how much I'm willing to sacrifice."

Kohler's Tri-Star team got the last laugh Thursday, winning 103-84 to improve to 2-0 in the Pro-Am.

Now, the two can wait a few weeks before facing off against each other again, letting them experience a little change of pace from the everyday grind in the summer.

"Sometimes you just want to have fun here," Cooper said. "We go at each other every day in practice, sometimes it's better to just let us go do our own thing. It's still fun to compete, and we're as tight as we can be."

There will be no Moneyball Pro-Am games next week due to the July 4 holiday. The schedule is set to resume on July 11 at Holt High School.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott