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Incoming freshmen Marvin Clark, left, and Javon Bess took some time to meet Michigan State fans after their Moneyball summer basketball league game on Tuesday night at the Aim High sports facility in Dimondale.
(Mike Griffith | Mlive.com)
DIMONDALE — Draymond Green and Denzel Valentine put on a show in Tuesday night's "Moneyball" summer league action at the Aim High facility just outside of Lansing city limits.
The former Spartan great and rising Spartan star went out of their way to drive on and defend one another, much to the delight of the hundreds in attendance who receive free admission each Tuesday and Thursday night.
"He's grown a lot, and he's gotten a lot better, and that's what you're supposed to do,'' Green said, asked to assess Valentine's improvement since the two played against one another last summer. "Denzel is going to be good, really good.''
No doubt, Valentine put up numbers nearly identical to Green's in the contest, scoring 32 points to Green's 31, pulling down 14 rebound to Green's 15 boards, matching Green with four assists and garnering one more steal, 4-3.
Still, Green's team, which also features explosive West Virginia transfer Eron Harris and incoming freshman point guard Lou Rawls "Tum Tum" Nairin scored a 101-87 win in a physical league that features a great deal of transition scoring and 3-point shots among teams made up of players who either live in the area or attend nearby schools.
Valentine's team has yet to win a game through five contests, and losing is something the rising Michigan State junior captain does not want to become accustomed to.
In fact, Valentine said now that he's a captain he'll put each loss the Spartans suffer on himself.
"I'm not going to let us lose; I'm gonna do whatever it takes,'' Valentine said. "Last year, sometimes I faded back and watched AP (Adreian Payne), Gary (Harris) and Keith (Appling) do their thing.
"But this year it's on me and Travis (Trice) and BJ (Branden Dawson). I feel I have to do more and take ownership.''
Both Green and Valentine are looking to adjust to new roles with their respective teams.
Golden State is interested in tunring Green into more of a stretch four next season.
"I'm ready to accept that challenge,'' said Green, whose shooting touch beyond the 3-point line stayed strong and steady through the end of the fast-paced, full-court game. "I definitely love playing the four, so I've been working at the necessary things to be the best I can be there.''
Valentine, meanwhile, said he's looking to develop more ways to score.
"I've not had a role since high school where they need me to score a lot, so I've been watching some film, working on getting my shot off the dribble,'' Valentine said. "I can catch-and-shoot, I can get to the basket well, but that mid-range floating area where I can get my shot off, I need to keep working on it.''
Former Spartan and current Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green entertained fans with his play and then stuck around and signed every autograph requested.
League Leaders: Travis Trice leads the league with 27.8 points per game and ranks second in 3-point field goal percentage (53.8 percent), second in assists (5.5 per game) and is third in steals per game (1.75).
Valentine is second in scoring (27.0 per game), third in assists (5.0 per game), fourth in steals (1.6) and first in free-throw percentage (he has yet to miss through five games).
Transfers Bryn Forbes and Eron Harris are among league leaders, as are Gavin Schilling and Matt Costello.
Schilling had the most impressive performance on Tuesday night, scoring 40 points and pulling down 22 rebounds to lead his team to its fifth straight victory.
Dawson is not playing in the summer league.
Still Fast: Incoming freshmen Marvin Clark and Javon Bess say they are still adjusting to the speed of the game in their two practices a week with Coach Tom Izzo.
"It's all about playing faster and talking more, we have to communicate on defense and on offense,'' said the 6-foot-5, 213-pound Bess. "The game is faster, and I have to speed myself up.''
Clark, 6-6, 225, said much of the same.
"The toughest thing I'm adjusting to is Coach Izzo wants to play really, really fast, but you have to get your mind playing that fast, too,'' he said.
Clark said he's been working at the three and the four.
"As far as playing the four, you're playing face-up, iso situations, pick and pop,'' Clark said. "At the three, it's coming off screens and straight-up drives.''
Injury Update: Kenny Kaminski remains out with a back injury, the extent of which has not been disclosed. Kaminski took a hard fall in a July 8 game and has not returned to Moneyball league action.
Alvin Ellis III took a hard spill in Tuesday night's game and did not return to action. Ellis did not receive medical attention and left the floor on his own power.
Tonight's Games: At 6:30 p.m. the Orange team (1-4) featuring Clark and Bess play Valentine's Green team (0-5); At 7:30 p.m. The Purple team (3-2) with Bryn Forbes plays the Black team (5-0) which features Schilling and Ellis, and at 8:30 p.m. the Red team (3-2) led by Travis Trice and Matt Costello play the Navy team (3-2) that includes Green, Harris and Nairn.
There are games next week, on Tuesday and Thursday (July 24), and the championship game is scheduled for July 29.
All games are at the Aim High Sports facility on Centerline Drive off I-96 and I-69, admission is free and concessions are sold on site.
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