Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler aims to win Moneyball Pro-Am MVP for second year in a row

Week 1 of the 2024 Moneyball Pro-Am concluded on Thursday, and several Michigan State Spartans left their fans excited for what they have in store for the rest of the summer session.

One of those Spartans was forward Jaxon Kohler, who thrives at this annual event. Kohler was named MVP of the Moneyball Pro-Am last year, and it looks like he could be on track to defend the award this summer.

In fact, he is chasing after him.

“Yeah, always,” Kohler said with a smile after scoring 29 points for Team Tri-State Trust on Thursday. “I try to play every game as well as I can and work as hard as I can.”

Kohler’s performance on Thursday followed a solid opening night performance on Tuesday, when he scored 33 points.

The junior forward has now completed two seasons with the Spartans and will look to take on a more influential role in the 2024-25 season, with Kohler’s success at the Moneyball Pro-Am helping him do so.

“(I’m learning) to just keep playing despite adversity,” he said. “When something bad happens, you find a way to get over it and you keep working hard and never give up.”

Kohler was expected to be a key part of coach Tom Izzo’s rotation last season, but didn’t play until January after undergoing foot surgery in October. In 21 games, he averaged just 2.0 points per game and 2.0 rebounds, playing an average of 9.3 minutes per game.

It has been clear so far at the 2024 Moneyball Pro-Am that Kohler is committed to improving his game as he prepares for the 2024-25 season.

“In the summer, you honestly just have to work on everything,” Kohler said. “I feel like I’ve always had the ability to throw. Last year, I never really felt comfortable throwing in a game because I was thrown in the deep end a little bit. But I’ve always had a throw and this year I’m looking forward to showing it off a little bit more in games.”

The 2024 Moneyball Pro-Am will resume on Tuesday, July 9.

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