Michigan State guard Matt McQuaid taking advantage of injury-free summer

DIMONDALE ― Last summer, Michigan State's Matt McQuaid spent his time healing and resting after undergoing double sports hernia surgery ― a procedure that cost him offseason time on the court and in the weight room.

This summer, however, the 6-foot-4 junior shooting guard has been in the gym, emphatically working on his physical stature, his dribbling and continuing to grow into the role of the Spartans' most lethal shooter.

He wants to make up for missed time.

"I didn't have last summer, so I'm trying to take advantage of it every day," McQuaid said Tuesday night following his final game at the Moneyball Pro-Am at Dimondale's Aim High.

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McQuaid, who saw increased minutes from his freshman to sophomore year, watched his shooting percentages drop in Year 2 with MSU. After knocking down nearly 41 percent of his 3s as a freshman, his percentage fell to 35 percent last season. His field goal percentage trickled down from 39 percent to 35 percent.

McQuaid said the biggest hurdle to climb after returning from surgery was regaining his confidence.

The junior looked poised and assertive Tuesday night as he hit eight 3s in a close loss to a Joshua Langford-led Black Team in Moneyball's playoffs. He said he's used the pro-am to help build himself up as the Spartans get ready to prepare for fall practices.

"I'm staying aggressive," McQuaid said. "I was taking shots, didn't stop shooting.

"I'm playing better. It's really helping me."

MSU senior point guard Tum Tum Nairn said he's seen the mental growth in McQuaid throughout the entire offseason. He added that McQuaid's is a "major piece" to the Spartans' goal of capturing a national championship.

"He's a lot more confident in his game," Nairn said. "It's always hard when you're coming off an injury to try and get your confidence back. I think he's been doing a great job of staying in the gym, staying consistent.

"Every time he shoots I think it's going in, and he believes that, too. He's got to be aggressive for us. He's one of our best defenders on the perimeter, and he's gotta be aggressive for us offensively.

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With height no longer being an issue for MSU this season ― as big men Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter will touch the floor after missing last season with injuries along with the arrivals of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman, which allows Miles Bridges to play more minutes at small forward ― both McQuaid and Langford will likely spend the majority of their time at shooting guard.

And while McQuaid is seeing the growth in his game this summer, he still knows the role MSU needs him to play this season in order to be successful.

"I'm just going to go out there and take what the defense gives me," he said. "If they give me a shot, I'm going to take it. I'm not going to go into a game thinking I want to take this many number of shots, but I'm just going to be aggressive and play my game."

Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.